Department for Transport

Greater Manchester Combined Authority: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2020 to Question 114087 on Transport for Greater Manchester and Transport for London: Finance, how much funding his Department has allocated to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority in each of the last 10 years.

Rachel Maclean: Payments to Greater Manchester Combined Authority and associated bodies (Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority and Greater Manchester Public Transport Executive) over the last 10 years amount to £1.709.5bn. Financial Year10/1111/1212/1313/1414/1515/1616/1717/1818/1919/2020/21TotalAmount (£m)171.1266.2188.9139.4180.3178.4113.266.465.3133.3207.01,709.5

Quarantine: Coronavirus

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether people who have recently recovered from covid-19, and who have a recent positive antibody test, can be exempt of quarantine measures, upon entering the UK.

Robert Courts: There is currently no exemption for those with a recent positive antibody test. For those planning to travel into England, they should check the current travel corridor list to see whether they need to isolate for 14 days. They will still be required to abide by the new national restrictions set out here even if they do not need to self-isolate on arrival.https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november. The Government is actively working on the practicalities of using testing to release people from self-isolation earlier than 14 days. The Global Travel Taskforce is working at pace to consider how testing, technology and innovation can drive a recovery for international travel and tourism, without adding to infection risk or infringing on our overall NHS test capacity.

Airlines: Coronavirus

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that airlines are providing swift refunds to passengers in the event of disruption due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Robert Courts: The Department has been clear that airlines and travel agents should not deny consumers their legal right to a refund, if it is requested and this should be done in a timely manner. The Civil Aviation Authority is routinely reviewing the refund policies and practices of all UK airlines, as well as a number of international airlines that operate flights to and from the UK. The CAA has utilised its review to influence airlines to change their processes and practices in order to improve performance in providing refunds. The CAA’s actions have led to an improved quality of service and performance from most airlines. The CAA continues to work with carriers to drive down waiting times, while recognising the challenges businesses are facing.

Cycling and Walking

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance he has published for councils wanting to put in places measures under the Active Travel Scheme.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Government has announced ambitious plans for cycling and walking and has committed an unprecedented £2 billion of funding for active travel over the next 5 years. The details are set out in the Prime Minister’s Gear Change plan, published in July and can be viewed here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycling-and-walking-plan-for-england. The Department has also published design advice for cycling infrastructure which can be found in Local Transport Note 1/20 ‘Cycle Infrastructure Design’ which is at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycle-infrastructure-design-ltn-120. To support the Active Travel Fund, the Department has also published additional Network Management Duty guidance on reallocating road space. This clearly sets out what the Department expects local authorities to do in making changes to their road layouts to encourage cycling and walking. This guidance is available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/reallocating-road-space-in-response-to-covid-19-statutory-guidance-for-local-authorities.

Cycling and Walking: Finance

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what powers local residents have to influence plans introduced under the Active Travel Scheme.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department has set new conditions on local authorities receiving funding through the Active Travel Fund, requiring them to ensure schemes are properly consulted on and that the views of local residents and businesses have been taken into account. This includes requiring authorities to undertake appropriate surveys with local residents to inform the design and implementation of schemes. The updated Network Management Duty guidance published alongside the Tranche 2 allocations makes clear the importance of engaging with local communities to ensure schemes deliver for all. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reallocating-road-space-in-response-to-covid-19-statutory-guidance-for-local-authorities

Cycling and Walking

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department plans to achieve under the Active Travel Scheme.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department is making up to £225 million available to local authorities through the Active Travel Fund in 2020/21. The Fund supports the Prime Minister’s long term vision for cycling and walking, “Gear Change”, published in July. This funding will support the delivery of high quality infrastructure that will encourage more people to walk and cycle for shorter journeys. Increasing cycling and walking can help tackle some of the most challenging issues we face as a society – improving air quality, combatting climate change, improving health and wellbeing, addressing inequalities and tackling congestion on our roads.

Cycling and Walking: South Northamptonshire

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to promote active travel; and if he will allocate funding to support the creation of a cycleway and footpath through Syresham and surrounding villages in South Northamptonshire constituency.

Chris Heaton-Harris: On 28 July the Prime Minister launched ambitious plans to boost cycling and walking, with the aim that half of all journeys in towns and cities are cycled or walked by 2030. This includes a £2 billion package of funding for active travel over the next 5 years, which is the largest ever boost for cycling and walking, and will deliver transformational change. As part of this, the Department announced £175 million of active travel funding for local authorities on 13 November, including £1.3 million for Northamptonshire. Further decisions on funding for active travel schemes will be taken as part of the Spending Review. Decisions on which local schemes to support with this funding will be matters for local authorities.

Question

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has been made by (a) his Department and (b) the Network Rail Earthworks Management Taskforce of the role that the Hubble vegetation management system could have in the early detection of flooding on the railways caused by extreme weather events.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The scope of the independent Earthworks Management Taskforce led by Lord Robert Mair CBE FREng FRS includes examining new technologies and innovations. Network Rail will use the task force findings to better manage its earthworks portfolio. The task force will report in due course.

Question

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made with the deployment by Network Rail of the Hubble vegetation management tool since it was awarded First of a Kind funding by his Department through Innovate UK in 2019.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Hubble was funded and supported by Network Rail’s Anglia Route and trialled on its Southern Route. Other Network Rail routes are able to use Hubble or other technology solutions as appropriate. Hubble was a recipient of First of a Kind (FOAK) funding from my Department. Funding under FOAK is not a guarantee that products will be taken into service. Network Rail and operators determine which products best meet their operational needs.

Railways: West Midlands

Stuart Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the merits of Network Rail's proposal in the Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy to electrify the Birmingham-Black Country-Shrewsbury route.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department will consider the recommendations of TDNS carefully and will develop individual electrification schemes where appropriate, ensuring that they are deliverable and provide value for money for taxpayers.

Question

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance he has issued to Network Rail on testing the availability of existing solutions from suppliers before investing in new technologies.

Chris Heaton-Harris: While the Department for Transport provides funding to enable Network Rail to conduct its own research and development and improve asset management through the Office of Road and Rail’s final determination every five years, it does not issue guidance or scrutinise decisions taken in this area.

Question

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what oversight and governance arrangements are in place for his Department to scrutinise decisions by Network Rail on the expenditure of its research and development and Intelligent Infrastructure budgets.

Chris Heaton-Harris: While the Department for Transport provides funding to enable Network Rail to conduct its own research and development and improve asset management through the Office of Road and Rail’s final determination every five years, it does not issue guidance or scrutinise decisions taken in this area.

Driving Tests: Coronavirus

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the two-year period for passing a practical driving test from the date of a successful theory test for people waiting to take practical driving tests during the covid-19 outbreak.

Rachel Maclean: The two-year validity period of the theory test certificate is set in legislation and the Government has taken the decision not to lay further legislation to extend it. The primary reason is that the two-year validity is in place to ensure that a candidate’s theoretical knowledge and hazard perception skills are up to date at the critical point they drive on their own for the first time. Extending the validity would provide less reassurance that this is the case. Those whose certificate previously expired and have since passed the theory test will now have a further two years in which to pass the practical test.

Railway Stations: Parking

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether, as part of Emergency Measures Agreements with Train Operating Companies, his Department will review the use and function of Network Rail goods yards to create more off-street parking options at rural stations.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Emergency Measures Agreements between the Department and Train Operators were designed to bring stability and certainty to the rail industry. Following the expiry of the EMAs in September, the department agreed Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements with the rail industry. These agreements are between the Department and Train Operators, they do not stipulate Network Rail Land utilisation. At present, Network Rail do not currently have any plans to review the use and function of goods yards to create more off-street parking options at rural stations. The Network Rail property team are however, assessing parking at Network Rail managed stations, this is focusing on opportunities regarding capacity and the potential introduction of electric vehicle charging stations.

Tunnels: Stonehenge

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations he has received from archaeological groups on objections to the Stonehenge Tunnel; and what plans he has to address the objections.

Rachel Maclean: The Secretary of State’s decision to approve the A303 (Amesbury to Berwick Down) Development Consent Order was issued on 12 November 2020. The reasons for the decision are set out in the decision letter published on the Planning Inspectorate’s website at: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/south-west/a303-stonehenge/. It includes consideration of the representations made by archaeological groups and other Interested Parties.

A27: Repairs and Maintenance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the estimated total cost is of the recently announced preferred route for the A27 Arundel bypass; and what the expected timescale is to completion.

Rachel Maclean: The total cost for delivery of the A27 Arundel Bypass preferred route (Grey, Option 5BV1), which was announced on 15 October 2020, will be between £320 and £455 million, as set out at the further public consultation in 2019. This figure is subject to the development of the scheme through detailed design and ongoing commercial discussions. Construction will commence in 2023/24 and will take approximately 36 months.

Dangerous Driving

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on hit-and-run collisions involving (a) pedestrians, (b) cyclists and (c) motorcyclists in (i) Coventry, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England.

Rachel Maclean: The Secretary of State for Transport has had no recent discussions with the Home Secretary on hit-and-run collisions in these areas.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Environment Protection

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the environmental impact of HS2.

Andrew Stephenson: An environmental statement has been prepared for each phase of HS2, which sets out a detailed assessment of the likely significant environmental effects of building and operating the railway, as well as proposed ways to avoid, reduce, mitigate and monitor the environmental effects. The Environmental Statement for Phase 1 is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hs2-phase-one-environmental-statement-documentsThe Environmental Statement for Phase 2a is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hs2-phase-2a-environmental-statementThe Working Draft Environmental Statement for Phase 2b is available here https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/hs2-phase-2b-working-draft-environmental-statementIn April this year, the Government published a Full Business Case for HS2, which included a section on decarbonisation and sustainability. This is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2-phase-one-full-business-case Following the launch of construction of Phase One, HS2 Ltd will begin publishing an annual environmental sustainability report, from 2021 onwards, which will provide updates on a range of environmental impacts, such as carbon and biodiversity, alongside the associated mitigation measures being delivered as part of the HS2 Green Corridor initiative.

Question

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to ensure the safety of key workers who travel to work by train during the covid-19 outbreak.

Chris Heaton-Harris: We have been clear that our priority remains the safety of staff and passengers. We have issued comprehensive guidance to transport operators, including rail operators, on keeping trains clean and ensuring staff and passengers are able to maintain good hand hygiene. Public transport, including rail transport, continues to be instrumental in keeping the country moving, even with the tougher restrictions having come into force. This is why rail operators continue to do everything they can to deliver the services passengers need, so that those who need to travel can do so with confidence.

Question

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress has been made on implementing technology to help passengers socially distance while travelling on rail services during the covid-19 outbreak.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Rail operators are working hard to facilitate social distancing between passengers wherever possible, in line with Public Health England advice. Measures include the installation of clear floor markings and of perspex screens between ticket vending machines; newer rolling stock also displays loading information, so passengers can identify emptier carriages when boarding. People should seek to book tickets online wherever possible and to plan ahead, and operators are highlighting on their websites the services that are quieter or busier to enable travellers to make informed decisions.

Railway Stations: West Midlands

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of trends in rail passenger usage of (a) Coventry station and (b) all stations in the West Midlands in the last five years; and what effect the covid-19 outbreak has had on rail passenger numbers at those stations.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) estimates the number of passengers travelling to and from railway stations by rail within Great Britain. The estimates for Coventry station and the total for all stations in the West Midlands are presented in the table below: CoventryWest Midlands stations2018/198,207,914167,321,5662017/187,682,920156,714,6342016/177,377,584150,596,8662015/166,921,432143,158,7982014/156,252,888132,420,618Please note there have been methodological changes over the recording of these statistics so yearly figures may not be directly comparable.  Source: ORR Estimates of Station Usage (https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/usage/estimates-of-station-usage/) As the latest data is 2018/19, the published estimates of station usage data does not cover the period affected by COVID-19. Currently, all official statistics provide only insight into the national affect that COVID-19 has had on passenger journeys. The Department for Transport publishes the ‘Travel use during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic’ statistics which shows the use of all modes of transport nationally and is updated weekly. These statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/transport-use-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic[Due to the number of rows in the ‘Travel use during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic’ dataset, it is not possible to insert the entire data table here].

Railway Stations: Taxis

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2020 to Question 107101 on Railway Stations: Taxis, whether his Department has had discussions with (a) train operating companies or (b) Network rail on refunds or price reductions for taxi permits issued at railway stations.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department has had no discussions with Network Rail regarding refunds or price reductions for taxi permits. Whilst the Department has not had discussions with train operating companies on specific proposals for refunds or price reductions, several have raised potential financial support to taxi drivers accessing railway stations at this time. The Department is considering its policy in this area.

Transport for Greater Manchester and Transport for London: Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding (a) Transport for London and (b) Transport for Greater Manchester has received from the Government for (i) capital projects and (ii) general operations in each of the last 10 years.

Rachel Maclean: The Department for Transport (DfT) has paid £883,925,106 (£884M) directly to Transport for London over the last 10 years. DfT has made payments directly to Transport for Greater Manchester totalling £347.6m in the last 10 years. DfT also makes payments to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority who then pay Transport for Greater Manchester for their required transport needs.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Employment: Pregnancy

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it a legal requirement for employers to allow all pregnant women who pass (a) 20 weeks or (b) 28 weeks gestation to work from home or be suspended on full pay during the covid-19 outbreak.

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on bringing forward legislative proposals to require employers to allow pregnant women who pass (a) 20 weeks or (b) 28 weeks gestation to work from home or be suspended on full pay.

Paul Scully: Ministers and officials regularly discuss a wide range of issues relating to Coronavirus and employment rights. Existing legislation and public health guidance covering the health and safety of pregnant women in the workplace puts in place protections to cover the risks pregnant women may face during the Coronavirus outbreak. The Department of Health and Social Care is also working with the Health and Safety Executive, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Midwives and health departments in the devolved nations on developing guidance on occupational health advice for pregnant women in the workplace. The Department plans to publish the guidance shortly. Under current public health guidance, pregnant women are in the clinically vulnerable group. This means that they are advised to work from home where it is possible to do so. Where working from home is not possible, pregnant women can attend a place of work provided this is supported by the employer's health and safety risk assessment and particular attention is paid to social distancing guidelines. Guidance on working safely can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19. A small number of pregnant women are considered to be clinically extremely vulnerable. Current guidance strongly advises that clinically extremely vulnerable individuals work from home. Where this is not possible they are advised not to attend work for this period of restrictions. The guidance makes clear that pregnant women who are clinically extremely vulnerable and cannot work from home should be suspended on full pay. This is in line with normal requirements under regulation 16(3) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. This guidance can be found here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/working-safely/protect-people.htm?utm_source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=coronavirus&utm_term=more-2&utm_content=digest-10-jul-20#pregnant_workers.

Coronavirus: Northern Ireland

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what additional financial assistance will be provided to the Northern Ireland Executive for the purchase of covid-19 vaccines.

Amanda Solloway: The UK government has secured early access to 355 million vaccines doses through agreements with seven separate vaccine developers, which have been purchased for the whole of the UK.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cost per unit is of the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine to the UK.

Amanda Solloway: At present we are not able to disclose details of this agreement because of the commercially confidential nature of the contracts between the Government and vaccine manufacturers while commercial negotiations are ongoing.

Vaccine Taskforce

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish the minutes of the most recent meeting of the Vaccine Taskforce.

Amanda Solloway: The Vaccine Taskforce is a unit within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy consisting of around 200 staff. The Department would not usually publish minutes of individual internal meetings that are deemed commercially sensitive and whilst Government policy is being developed.

Vaccine Taskforce

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, on which dates the Vaccine Taskforce has met since March 2020.

Amanda Solloway: The Vaccine Taskforce is a unit within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy consisting of around 200 staff. The steering group of the Vaccines Taskforce meets virtually 3 times weekly. This has been the case since May 2020.

Employment

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Government plans to bring forward an employment Bill.

Paul Scully: In the Queens’ Speech, we announced we will bring forward measures to deliver on a range of Manifesto commitments.Our legislation will make workplaces fairer, by providing better support for working families and by encouraging flexible working.We will deliver on our commitment to balance the needs of both employers and workers to ensure we have an employment framework that is fit for purpose for the 21st century.It is important that we work closely with stakeholders to make sure we get the legislation right, and we will bring forward details of the Employment Bill in due course.

Bounce Back Loan Scheme and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to review the adequacy of the underwriting and risk processes required in advance of an offer being made of a loan under the (a) Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme Loan and (b) Bounce Back Loan Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Scully: The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) are delegated schemes; meaning the decision to lend to a prospective borrower remains at the discretion of the lender. The rules of the schemes are overseen by the Government in conjunction with the British Business Bank. CBILS is operated on the same basis as fully commercial loans, with lenders conducting the full range of checks they would usually make, subject to the specific eligibility requirements of the scheme. As part of the BBLS application process lenders undertake fraud checks, including Know Your Customer and Anti Money Laundering checks as required. Lenders do not undertake credit checks for BBLS applications and rely on the information provided by the borrower as part of the application. We continue to review the schemes to consider whether further measures can be introduced to reduce the risk of fraud. The British Business Bank audits accredited lenders against their compliance with the scheme rules and can take action where lenders are not following the appropriate processes.

Bounce Back Loan Scheme

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department has had with Bounce Back Loan Scheme lenders on access to credit for businesses that have business accounts with other lenders.

Paul Scully: The Bounce Back Loan Scheme, launched in May 2020, has been introduced to help smaller businesses impacted by coronavirus (COVID-19). It is available through a range of British Business Bank accredited lenders and partners listed on the British Business Bank website: www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/coronavirus-business-interruption-loan-schemes/bounce-back-loans/current-accredited-lenders-and-partners/ In the first instance and where possible, businesses should approach a Bounce Back Loan Scheme accredited provider with whom they have an existing relationship. They may also consider approaching other Scheme accredited providers if they are unable to access the finance they need or if their existing provider is not accredited to provide loans under the Scheme. The Bounce Back Loan Scheme does not mandate that the applicant must have a business relationship with the lender in order to receive a loan. However, certain lenders may require that you enter into a business relationship with them before you can apply and, within their standard policies and terms and conditions of business, some lenders may not permit an existing customer to operate their business via a personal account. All lending decisions remain solely at the discretion of the lender.

Employment: Environment Protection

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answers of 7 September 2020 to Question 82123 and of 10 November 2020 to Question 908549, for what reason the estimate of the number of jobs that that funding could support was 140,000 in September and 80,000 in November.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The answer provided on 7 September 2020 to Question 82123 was for the expected number of jobs created by over £3 billion of investment in the green recovery, as announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer on 8 July. This included the £2 billion Green Homes Grant Scheme, £1 billion to improve the efficiency of public sector buildings, alongside a £50 million fund to pilot the right approach to decarbonise social housing. The answer provided on the 10 November 2020 to Question 908459 was for the expected number of jobs created through the £1.5 billion Green Homes Grant Voucher scheme.

Housing: Heating

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the time required to fully train each apprentice  installer of domestic heat pumps.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is working closely with industry, the Department for Education the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education, to ensure that there are clear routes for new entrants to join the heat pump installation market, through higher education including apprenticeships. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education estimates that the typical duration of an apprenticeship to become a Plumbing and Domestic Heating Technician is 48 months.

Employment

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when the Government plans to bring forward an employment Bill.

Paul Scully: In the Queens’ Speech, we announced we will bring forward measures to deliver on a range of Manifesto commitments.Our legislation will make workplaces fairer, by providing better support for working families and by encouraging flexible working.We will deliver on our commitment to balance the needs of both employers and workers to ensure we have an employment framework that is fit for purpose for the 21st century.It is important that we work closely with stakeholders to make sure we get the legislation right, and we will bring forward details of the Employment Bill in due course.

Climate Change Convention

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 12 November 2020 to Question 113087, what recent assessment he has made of the timeframe for the confirmation of the final budgets for COP26.

Kwasi Kwarteng: Budget discussions are ongoing, and will continue to develop in the run up to COP26.

Retail Trade: Coronavirus

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what criteria were used to define essential retail in relation to the guidance issued on the additional public health restrictions which came into force on 5 November 2020 in England.

Paul Scully: The decision to close non-essential retail is part of a wider package of measures to make clear that people should stay at home except for a limited set of exemptions – allowing non-essential retail to remain open would run contrary to that aim. These restrictions?have been?brought in because we?have to?limit social contact.All shops can continue to offer home delivery and click and collect services to customers.

Nuclear Reactors

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November to Question 110780, whether his Department has held discussions with the (a) manufacturers and (b) developers of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) on developing the industrial synergies between SMRs and submarine propulsion nuclear reactors.

Nadhim Zahawi: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 9 November 2020 to Question 110780.

Nuclear Power

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November to Question 110779, whether his Department has held discussions since 2016 with the Ministry of Defence on ways to develop (a) skills and (b) capacities for nuclear submarines through exploring potential synergies with civil nuclear programmes.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department has had no discussions since 2016 with the Ministry of Defence on the Government’s action to develop skills and capacities for nuclear submarines through exploring potential synergies with civil nuclear programmes. There is an industry-led Nuclear Skills Strategy Group, of which the Department, as well as the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Education, are members. This group considers skills challenges and opportunities for the wider industry and its supply chain organisations.

Nuclear Power: Skilled Workers

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions his Department has held with HM Treasury on the potential merits of coordinating the development of key skills required for (a) civil and (b) military nuclear programmes in order to reduce the cost of that skills development to the public purse.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Department has not had any recent discussions with HM Treasury on the potential merits of coordinating the development of key skills required for civil and military nuclear programmes.

Flexible Working

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has in the forthcoming employment bill to include flexible working as standard; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect on that matter on levels of work life balance.

Paul Scully: In the Queens’ Speech, we announced that we will bring forward measures to deliver on a range of Manifesto commitments. Our legislation will promote fairness in the workplace by striking the right balance between the flexibility that the economy needs and the security that workers deserve. In our manifesto, we committed to encouraging flexible working and consulting on making it the default unless employers have good reasons not to. It is important that we work closely with stakeholders to make sure we get the legislation right, and we will bring forward details of the Employment Bill in due course. The Government is clear about the benefits of flexible working for employees wishing to balance their working lives with their personal lives. Since 2014, all employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service have had the Right to Request Flexible Working. We are currently evaluating how effective those regulations have been.

Energy: White Papers

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the energy White Paper.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Energy White Paper is a priority for the Department and it will be published this Autumn.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the UK car industry of tariffs in the event that no agreement is reached in the current negotiations between the UK and the EU on the future relationship.

Nadhim Zahawi: We are confident that we can reach a deal and will continue to work hard to reach an agreement with the EU for as long as there is a constructive process ongoing. The Political Declaration sets out our ambition for a zero tariff and zero quota Free Trade Agreement; reducing the costs and processes associated with trade is in the interests of people and businesses across the UK and the EU. Extensive engagement has been taking place between the Government and the automotive sector on future trade negotiations. We shall continue to work with companies over the next few months to ensure that they are well prepared for the end of the transition period. In addition, the Government has a long-standing programme of support to maintain the competitiveness of the UK’s automotive sector.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether a person who has been informed by letter that they are clinically extremely vulnerable and should not go to work can be put on the new Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Paul Scully: The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) continues to support businesses and individuals throughout the UK. Where employees are deemed to be clinically extremely vulnerable, they can be furloughed through the CJRS. As with the previous scheme, it is up to employers to decide whether to furlough these employees.

Energy: Waste

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of including energy from waste incineration emissions in the UK's net-zero plans.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The UK’s climate change framework enables the Government to determine how best to balance emissions reductions across the economy. Emissions are managed within the Government’s overall strategy for meeting carbon budgets and the 2050 net zero target, as part of an economy-wide transition. The UK follows the agreed international approach for estimating and reporting greenhouse gas emissions under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, which is for countries to report the emissions produced within their territories. The Climate Change Act defines UK emissions as being those of greenhouse gases from sources within the UK, i.e. consistent with international reporting practice. Therefore all emissions from UK sources, including those produced in energy production through waste incineration, are accounted for.

Personal Care Services: Coronavirus

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the disproportionate effect of the extended closure of hair, beauty, spa and wellness services during the covid-19 outbreak on women working in that sector.

Paul Scully: Our guidance for the sector has a specific section, 3.3., covering equality in the workplace. Cabinet Office guidance behind the new national restrictions has been brought because Government assessed that we had to take action immediately to protect the NHS and to get R decisively below 1. The Government has, however, enabled click and collected services, as well as training and education (see guide) to enable COVID-secure businesses in this sector to operate where possible.

Personal Care Services: Coronavirus

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the levels of covid-19 transmission in (a) hair, (b) beauty and (c) spa and wellness services.

Paul Scully: The UK is currently experiencing a public health emergency as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is critical that employers, employees, the self-employed and clients take steps to keep everyone safe. Incidence rates are growing and the NHS is under increasing pressure. From 5th November to 2nd December, non-essential retail and stores must close including close contact services such as hair, beauty, spa and wellness services. At the end of the period, we will look to return to a local and regional approach, based on the latest data.

Personal Care Services: Coronavirus

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether hair, beauty, spa and wellness salons, barbershops and mobile services are classified as (a) non-essential retail, (b) hospitality or (c) personal care in relation to covid-19 restrictions.

Paul Scully: According to Cabinet Office’s guide for the new national restrictions, they are classed as personal care services. As their guide states, the Government cannot provide comments on individual cases of whether or not a business is permitted to open. It is for each business to assess whether they are a business required to close having considered the guidance and Regulations.

Northern Ireland Office

Coronavirus: Northern Ireland

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what additional support his Department is providing to assist the Northern Ireland Executive in acquiring covid-19 vaccines.

Mr Robin Walker: The UK Government is working with several potential vaccine suppliers with the ambition to roll out an immunisation programme on a UK-wide basis as soon as regulatory approval is granted. We have secured early access to over 350 million vaccine doses through a portfolio of promising new vaccines to ensure we are in the best place, and we are taking every possible step to ensure we can move as quickly as possible to deploy a vaccine if and when one is found to work. We have invested over £140m into manufacturing any successful vaccine and an enormous amount of planning and preparation has taken place across Government to be able to quickly roll out the vaccine, including ensuring we have adequate provision, transport, PPE and logistical expertise to do so. Once any vaccine is approved, the Government will distribute these equitably amongst the four nations, for the Devolved Administrations to then administer roll out to the public. The UK Government has been in constant communication with the NI Executive over the progress on the acquisition, and potential approval, of any vaccine to assist in planning and preparation for their roll out. The UK Government stands ready to assist the Devolved Administrations concerning a vaccine roll out.

Department of Health and Social Care

Incontinence: Health Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to incorporate the recommendations from the Excellence in Continence Care Guidelines into the work of the National Bladder and Bowel Health Project.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the National Bladder and Bowel Health Project plans to use the Excellence in Continence Care Guidelines to inform the development of clinical standards and pathways.

Edward Argar: There are currently no plans to incorporate the recommendations from the Excellence in Continence Care Guidelines into the work of the National Bladder and Bowel Health Project (NBBP). The NBBP has a specific remit to look at clinical standards for bladder, bowel, paediatrics and stoma care pathways. It is anticipated that the NBBP will enhance the guidelines themselves as part of its remit to improve continence care across the whole public health and care system.

Incontinence: Health Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to deliver ring-fenced funding of continence services under the NHS Long Term Plan; and what the timescale is for delivery of that funding.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether continence services which have been reduced as a result of the covid-19 outbreak are planned to be reinstated.

Edward Argar: Trusts, working with general practitioner practices, have been asked to ensure that every patient whose planned care has been disrupted by COVID-19 receives clear communication about how they will be looked after, and who to contact if their clinical circumstances change. The focus is on accelerating the return of non-COVID-19 health services to near-normal levels, including making full use of available capacity between now and winter, whilst also preparing for winter demand pressures. This will be done alongside continued vigilance against further COVID-19 spikes locally and possibly nationally. The National Bladder and Bowel Health Project are currently supporting a study to establish the impact of COVID-19 on continence services. There are no plans for ringfenced funding for continence services.

Incontinence: Health Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's timeframe is for rolling out the Excellence in Continence Care Guidelines across the Integrated Care Systems and Primary Care Networks.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) stakeholders his Department consulted on and (b) what plans his Department has to publish a revised version of the Excellence in Continence Care Guidelines.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of levels of adherence to the guidance entitled Excellence in Continence Care: Practical guidance for commissioners, and leaders in health and social care, published in July 2018.

Edward Argar: Excellence in Continence Care: Practical guidance for commissioners, and leaders in health and social care is available for all Integrated Care Systems and Primary Care Networks. No recent assessment has been made of adherence to this guidance.There has been no recent review and there are no plans at this stage to publish a revised version of the Excellence in Continence Care guideline. The current guideline has already been rolled out to Integrated Care Systems and Primary Care Networks.The National Bladder and Bowel Project was set up to improve continence care across the whole public health and care system following feedback from the July 2018 publication.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will reassess the groups of people on the covid-19 vaccine priority list to give higher priority to people who are shielding but for whom the vaccine would not put them at a higher additional risk as determined by a consultant.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Northern Ireland

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when covid-19 vaccines purchased by the Government will be available in Northern Ireland.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Northern Ireland

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the covid-19 vaccines purchased by the NHS will be provided to Northern Ireland.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Protective Clothing

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who the primary supplier of NHS scrubs is.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Health and Social Care: Protective Clothing

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many companies hold procurement contracts for scrubs with his Department; and how many procurement contracts for scrubs his Department has put out to tender in the last 12 months.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Influenza: Vaccination

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including teachers as recipients of the free flu vaccination in winter 2020-21.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to provide an Answer to Question 88395 tabled by the hon. Member for City of Durham on 10 September 2020.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will publish the evidence underpinning the Government guidance dated 5 November 2020 on visiting care homes.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Funerals: Coronavirus

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the National Association of Funeral Directors to inform the guidance for conducting funerals during the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Obesity

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to help ensure resumption of (a) Tier 3 and (b) Tier 4 weight management services continue during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Obesity

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to support long-term weight loss; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Obesity: Young People

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Department has to improve healthcare services dedicated to adolescents with obesity.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Obesity

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on implementing the obesity strategy published in July 2020; what support will be made available through that strategy to help people with obesity maintain weight loss; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2020 to Question 101055 on Breast Cancer: Screening, what estimate his Department has made of the length of time it will take for the waiting list to return to the same level experienced in March 2020.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Care Homes: DNACPR Decisions

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he is having with the care sector on the use of Do Not Resuscitate orders in response to concerns on their use in care homes during the covid-19 outbreak.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Employment: Pregnancy

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will issue guidance to employers to allow all pregnant women who pass (a) 20 weeks or (b) 28 weeks gestation to work from home or be suspended on full pay during the covid-19 outbreak.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Mothers

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will have discussions with the Health and Safety Executive on gathering and retaining data during the covid-19 outbreak on health and safety breaches regarding pregnant women and new mothers.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Pay

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of providing funding for an earlier than planned pay rise for staff subject to the Agenda for Change system.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Pay

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on ensuring that pay increases for NHS staff under the Agenda for Change system are funded through additional resources set out in the forthcoming spending review.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS Pay Review Body

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the remit letters for the NHS Pay Review Body for 2021-22 will be issued; and for what reasons they have not already been issued.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Doctors and Nurses: Vacancies

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many vacant positions there are for (a) nurses and (b) doctors in (i) Coventry, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Hospital Beds

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of bed capacity in NHS hospitals during the covid-19 outbreak.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disadvantaged

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the reasons for health inequalities; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle health inequalities to protect people at greatest risk from covid-19.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of missed and late cancelled covid-19 tests for each testing centre in the UK to date.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Babies: Neurology

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support clinical research into infantile spasms.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Babies: Neurology

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve awareness among (a) healthcare professionals and (b) the general public of the symptoms of infantile spasms.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to help diagnostic companies who supply covid-19 tests and are unable to renew their relevant insurance to meet his Department's requirements; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Correspondence

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Bolton South East of 15 July 2020 on the implementation of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Bowel Cancer: Screening

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the backlog in people waiting for (a) colonoscopy, (b) flexi sigmoidoscopy and (c) other diagnostic tests for bowel cancer.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Bowel Cancer: Screening

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people who have received a faecal immunochemical positive test result through bowel cancer screening are awaiting a diagnostic test for the most recent date at which that information is available.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of wearing masks while singing for the reduction of transmission of covid-19.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish guidance for support groups operating under Paragraph 11(6) of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (No. 4) Regulations 2020, to ensure the consistency of advice from local authorities to those groups.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Mothers

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to improve perinatal mental health services (a) during pregnancy and (b) in the first postnatal year.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Negligence

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to introduce fixed costs in clinical negligence cases up to £25,000 to prevent rising litigation costs within the NHS.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Safety

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is the Government is taking to ensure that the NHS is the safest healthcare system in the world for both patients and staff.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Self-harm

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available for young people and adults who self-harm during the covid-19 pandemic; and how much the Government spent in (a) 2018, (b) 2019 and (c) 2020 on self-harm prevention.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health Provision: a Green Paper, published by his Department in December 2017, what progress he has made on the pilot of four week waiting time access to specialist NHS children and young people’s mental health services.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

UK Relations With EU

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what contingency plans he has with respect to the UK's future relationship with the EU in the event of an interruption in the supply of medicines after the transition period.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Members: Correspondence

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that the Chief Dental Officer at NHS England responds to the letter of 7 September 2020 from the hon. Member for West Lancashire on dental procedures, reference ZA52357.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Independent Review

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review report entitled First Do No Harm, published on 8 July 2020.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Agmatine

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the legalisation of the supplement Agmatine for medical purposes.

Ms Nadine Dorries: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prescriptions: Mothers

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending maternity exemption certificates for people who have not been able to use them during the covid-19 lockdowns.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, whether the Government plans to introduce guidance for members of the public unable to wear face coverings.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to recommend the wearing of visors for members of the public who cannot wear face masks during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fertility: Health Services

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure that Clinical Commissioning Groups across the country follow the NICE guidance on fertility and the factsheet produced by NHS England, to ensure that adequate and consistent fertility services are provided across the country in each CCG area; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Abortion: Drugs

Sir Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many notification forms were received where the second abortion pill only was taken at home after 10 weeks, in 2019.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Abortion: Drugs

Sir Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 27 December 2018 approval of the home of a pregnant woman in England who is undergoing treatment for termination of pregnancy as a class of place where the second stage of treatment for early medical abortion may be carried out, how many maternal deaths occurred under the 27 December 2018 approval as a result of the second abortion pill taken at home in (a) 2018, (b) 2019 and (c) 2020 to date.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Abortion: Drugs

Sir Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the publication on 1 October 2020 of supplementary analysis of the January-June 2020 abortion statistics, what gestation was reported on the notification form for each of the cases where abortion pills were taken after 10 weeks for (a) the 40 cases where the second pill only was taken at home and (b) the 10 cases where both pills were taken at home.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what procurement arrangements he is putting in place for businesses wishing to provide logistical support to the planned covid-19 vaccination programme.

Jo Churchill: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Rotherham

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the daily testing capacity of covid-19 testing sites in Rotherham was in the week commencing 7 September 2020; and how many tests were conducted at those testing sites on each day of that week.

Helen Whately: We publish data on the number of pillar 2 tests processed in each local authority weekly alongside the Test and Trace statistics publication at GOV.UK at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/nhs-test-and-trace-statistics-england-weekly-reportsThe total number of pillar 2 tests processed in Rotherham in the week commencing 7 September was 5,114, with a daily average of 730.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on the National Prioritisation Framework for a covid-19 vaccine.

Jo Churchill: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who provide advice to Government on which vaccine(s) the United Kingdom should use, and which groups to prioritise. The JCVI and the sub-committee are currently reviewing evidence on risk factors associated with serious disease and mortality from COVID-19. Following a review of the evidence the Committee will develop advice on prioritisation of population and risk groups for any future COVID-19 vaccination programme.For further information, JCVI’s interim advice on prioritisation is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/priority-groups-for-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-advice-from-the-jcvi-25-september-2020The minutes of JCVI committee meetings and statements on COVID-19 vaccination are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/joint-committee-on-vaccination-and-immunisation

Heart Diseases: Coronavirus

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what representations his Department has received from the British Society for Heart Failure on changes in the level of patients who are developing heart failure through not presenting at hospital with heart attack symptoms during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jo Churchill: The Department has not received any representations from the British Society for Heart Failure regarding this specific issue.With a rise in COVID-19 activity, we have been clear that non-COVID-19 services will be maintained as far as possible and clinically urgent patients should continue to be treated first.Throughout the summer and autumn of 2020, the National Health Service has run an ongoing media campaign ‘Help us to help you’, encouraging patients to seek urgent medical help when they are unwell, including clear messaging for patients with heart attack symptoms to call 999.One of the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan is to raise awareness of the symptoms of heart failure and to ensure early and rapid access to diagnostic tests and treatment. This work remains a priority for NHS England and NHS Improvement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Heart Diseases: Coronavirus

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to accommodate a potential increase in cases of heart failure arising from delayed presentation and treatment for heart attack symptoms during the covid-19 outbreak; and what advice he has sought from heart failure specialists to inform his policy on that matter.

Jo Churchill: With a rise in COVID-19 activity, we have been clear that non-COVID-19 services will be maintained as far as possible and clinically urgent patients should continue to be treated first. In October 2020 NHS England and NHS Improvement provided service protection plans to regional teams to ensure that critical services, such as cardiac surgery for severe valvular disease patients, are maintained as far as possible.NHS England and NHS Improvement promoted service restoration as a priority, including heart failure diagnostic and treatment services, as soon as the peak of the first wave of the pandemic began to decline.In partnership with NHS England and NHS Improvement, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has also developed heart disease guidelines and evidence summaries with support from clinical specialists, the specialist societies and Royal Colleges, to help the National Health Service and social care respond quickly to the ongoing challenges of the pandemic.

Suicide: Bereavement Counselling

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress the Government has made on the establishment of suicide bereavement support services.

Ms Nadine Dorries: Under the NHS Long Term Plan, we have set out our plans to invest £57 million to support local suicide prevention plans and establish suicide bereavement support services in all areas of England by 2023/24.We have committed that all local systems will have suicide bereavement support services providing timely and appropriate support to families and staff by 2023/24 and have provided funding to 40% of local systems in 2020/21 for them to establish and deliver such services. This is in line with the planning and delivery expectations set out in the Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20-2023/24.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of expanding the rule of six for Christmas day 2020.

Ms Nadine Dorries: It is too early to determine what restrictions will be required or put in place during the Christmas period. The scientific data will determine what rules should be in place including any provisions for Christmas.

Depressive Illnesses

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in England have been diagnosed with (a) depression and (b) anxiety since March 2020.

Ms Nadine Dorries: NHS Digital collects information in the mental health services dataset on people of all ages in contact with secondary mental health services in England who have a recorded diagnosis of a mental disorder, or who have been referred for talking and psychological therapies for conditions such as depression or anxiety. However, NHS Digital has advised that recording levels of such diagnoses in the dataset are currently too low for any meaningful interpretation.

Department for Education

Schools: Coronavirus

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent information his Department holds on how many schools in England are operating on a rota system whereby not all school years are attending school on each school day.

Nick Gibb: The Government’s priority is to keep education and childcare settings fully open wherever possible. The Contain framework, and the educational tiers within it, is in place to help manage COVID-19 prevalence locally.We took a national decision to prioritise education and childcare during the current period of national restrictions and schools continue to remain open for all children and young people as they have since the start of the autumn term. We will therefore not be moving up the tiers in any local area during the period of national lockdown – this means no move to rotas in secondary schools.Any school management issues which are not about managing COVID-19 transmission should be referred to the relevant Regional Schools Commissioner (RSC)’s office. RSC offices will make every effort to support schools to continue to provide face to face education to pupils in their schools.

Dance: Coronavirus

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether dance schools can open for (a) training and rehearsal without an audience and (b) supervised activities for children during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown.

Nick Gibb: Dance can be undertaken in schools that provide a full-time education, during the period of national restrictions, but safety precautions should be undertaken. Advice is provided in the actions for schools during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools#music-dance-and-drama-in-school.In addition, qualifications in dance can take place in England during this period provided they are conducted in line with the public health guidance on autumn exams: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/responsibility-for-autumn-gcse-as-and-a-level-exam-series/public-health-arrangements-for-autumn-exams.Schools may also continue to offer before and after school educational provision to their pupils (including dance), to enable their parents or carers to work, seek work, attend education or training, or where the provision is to support respite care (for vulnerable children). Where schools are offering these activities, they should advise parents that they should only be using them for these purposes.Providers of supervised activities for children, such as those providing out-of-school activities (including dance classes), may also continue to operate during the period of national restrictions, as outlined in the guidance for education and childcare settings on new national restrictions from 5 November: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-and-childcare-settings-new-national-restrictions-from-5-november-2020#ooss. However, providers of these activities should ensure they are only being accessed for face-to-face provision by parents if their primary purpose is registered childcare, or where they are providing other activities for children, where it is reasonably necessary to enable parents to work or search for work, or to undertake training or education; or for the purposes of respite care.Providers that continue to operate face-to-face provision during this period should continue to undertake risk assessments and implement the system of controls set out in the protective measures for holiday clubs and after-school clubs and other out-of-school clubs for children during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/protective-measures-for-out-of-school-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.All other out-of-school activities, not being primarily used by parents for these purposes and that can offer remote education, should close for face-to-face provision for the duration of the national restrictions. This will minimise the amount of mixing between different groups of people and therefore reduce the risk of infection and transmission of the virus.

Pupils: Coventry

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much (a) revenue and (b) capital funding in cash terms was provided per pupil in state (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in (A) Coventry North East constituency and (B) Coventry in each of the last ten years.

Nick Gibb: The revenue funding allocated for schools for the financial years 2010/11 to 2019/20 for Coventry local authority is shown in the table below. Aggregated schools funding is not allocated to primary and secondary schools separately, nor to parliamentary constituencies. Primary and secondary pupil numbers for each local authority in England can be found in the local authority tables for each year through following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers.Financial YearCoventry local authority (£millions)2010-11241.92011-12249.82012-13257.62013-14279.62014-15292.02015-16298.02016-17302.22017-18314.22018-19324.52019-20337.2 Data for allocations prior to 2011/12 are not readily available. Most funding allocations are calculated at a responsible body level, and cannot be broken down to per pupil, primary or secondary, and constituency levels. This is because many responsible bodies, such as academy trusts, span local authority boundaries and decisions on investment in individual schools are often taken at a local level.Basic need funding is allocated to local authorities to provide new school places in their area. The Department provides basic need funding for every place that is needed, based on local authorities’ own data on pupil forecasts. These allocations are calculated in line with demographic growth in the local area rather than existing population, so allocations may fluctuate across years. There are now 8,594 more school places in Coventry than there were in 2010.In addition to this, Coventry has been allocated nearly £4 million through the Special Provision Capital Fund across 2018-21. This funding is intended to help local authorities create new places and improve facilities for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.(All values £millions)2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-172017-182018-192019-202020-212021-22Basic Need allocations9.99.712.5 12.5003.268.21.923.7Special Provision Capital Fund   0.82.40.8  [1], [2]In addition to basic need funding, the Department allocates condition funding each year to those responsible for school buildings to improve and maintain the condition of the school estate. For an explanation of condition funding and a breakdown of condition allocations paid to Coventry local authority to invest in maintained schools over the last ten years, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 November 2020 to Question 114205. [1] For financial years 2015/16 to 2020/21, the figures above may differ from the original allocations. This is because allocations have been subsequently adjusted to reflect a revised schedule of payments, for example where payments have been modified in order to support local authority cashflow. [2] This table does not include historic Targeted Basic Need funding – Coventry received £9.2 million through this in 2013-15.

Music: Private Tutors

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will amend the guidance on the teaching of music in private homes during the covid-19 outbreak to ensure that it includes the private home of the (a) student and (b) teacher, and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Music teachers providing one-to-one tuition outside of a school or college setting are advised to provide tutoring online where possible. Where online lessons are not reasonably possible, face-to-face provision is permitted in specific circumstances.As outlined in the guidance for education and childcare settings on new national restrictions from 5 November, out of school activities such as private tuition may continue to operate during the period of national restrictions, whether in a student’s home or a teacher’s home. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-and-childcare-settings-new-national-restrictions-from-5-november-2020#ooss. Teachers who are operating out of their own homes or private studios should ensure they are only being accessed for face to face provision by parents if their primary purpose is registered childcare, or where they are providing other activities for children, where it is reasonably necessary to enable parents to work, search for work, undertake training or education, or for the purposes of respite care.Tutoring that is primarily used by home educating parents as part of their arrangements for their child to receive a suitable full-time education (which could include, for example, private tutors) may also continue to operate for face to face provision for the duration of the national restrictions.Tutors that continue to operate face-to-face provision during this period should continue to undertake risk assessments and implement the system of controls set out in the protective measures for holiday clubs and after-school clubs and other out-of-school clubs for children during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak guidance, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/protective-measures-for-out-of-school-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak. Providers operating out of other people’s homes should also implement the guidance on working safely in other people’s homes, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/homes.

Schools: Coronavirus

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what advice his Department is providing to schools on parents who wish to keep their children at home in self-isolation because a member of the household has a serious health condition.

Nick Gibb: Being in nursery, school and college is vital for children and young people’s education and for their wellbeing. Time out of nursery, school and college is detrimental for children’s cognitive and academic development.Children and young people who live with someone who is confirmed clinically extremely vulnerable, but who are not clinically extremely vulnerable themselves, should still attend education or childcare even during this period of national restrictions.Nurseries, schools and colleges have implemented a range of protective measures recommended by the Public Health England endorsed guidance published by the Department which, when followed, creates an inherently safer environment for pupils, staff and their families.The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools#res.If parents or carers are anxious about their child attending education, we recommend that they discuss this with their school leadership to understand their concerns and provide reassurance regarding the protective measures that have been put in place to reduce the risk of transmission in the setting.Where children are not able to attend school as they are following clinical or public health advice related to COVID-19, we expect schools to be able to immediately offer them access to remote education. That absence will not be penalised.

Schools: Fires

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of school fires on levels of educational attainment.

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the Government plans to publish its response to the Review of Building Bulletin 100: design for fire safety in schools consultation.

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of schools are fitted with effective sprinkler systems in England.

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of schools in England with inadequate fire detection systems.

Nick Gibb: The Government gives the highest priority to the safety of pupils and staff, and to ensuring that the owners of school buildings take the necessary action to protect those buildings.The Department has not made an assessment of the effect of school fires on levels of educational attainment.The data held from the Department’s Condition Data Collection indicates that 1665 schools in England have sprinkler systems.The Department is currently updating Building Bulletin 100 (BB100), the department’s guidance on fire safety design in schools. A revised version of BB100 is expected to be published in 2021, following a full public consultation. The consultation will give full consideration to the implementation of various fire safety measures, including the use of sprinkler systems.In the meantime, schools are fundamentally safe environments. All schools must comply with Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which means they must have an up to date fire risk assessment, appropriate fire alarms and regular fire drills. This is to ensure they are as safe as possible and well prepared in the event of a fire.Sprinklers must be fitted in new schools where they are deemed necessary to keep pupils and staff safe. All new school building projects must also comply with building regulations, including on fire safety, and this must be independently checked by Building Control or an Approved Inspector before buildings are occupied.

Schools: Coronavirus

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to prioritise school staff for covid-19 testing.

Nick Gibb: All essential workers continue to have access to priority testing via the online booking portal. This includes school staff, including support and teaching staff and specialist education professionals.The Department is also supplying COVID-19 test kits directly to schools for staff and students who develop COVID-19 symptoms and face significant barriers to accessing a test through other routes. Test kits will help symptomatic staff who test negative and are not close contacts of confirmed cases to get back to work as soon as they feel well enough. It is for schools to determine how to distribute their test kits in order to minimise the impact of COVID-19 on the education of students.The Government is committed to introducing mass asymptomatic testing using new technologies to minimise the risk of infection spread within communities. Pilots are already underway for using these in schools and colleges.

Remote Education: Coronavirus

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answers of 4 November 2020 to Question 109149 on Remote Education: Merton and of 13 November 2020 to Question 109150 on Remote Education: Coronavirus, how many devices (a) had been distributed, (b) had been allocated and (c) were available for allocation to schools by (i) 20 October 2020 and (ii) 24 October 2020.

Nick Gibb: As part of over £195 million invested to support remote education and access to online social care, over 340,000 laptops and tablets are being made available this term to support disadvantaged children in year 3 to 11 whose face-to-face education may be disrupted. This supplements over 220,000 laptops and tablets and over 51,000 4G wireless routers, which have already been delivered during the summer term.Laptops and tablets are owned by schools, trusts or local authorities who can lend these to the children and young people who need them most and who may experience disruption to face-to-face education due to COVID-19.Information on the devices provided this term to schools, local authorities and academy trusts as of 23 October 2020 is published here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/929064/Ad-hoc_stats_note_shipped_data_231020_FINAL.pdfDevices provided as of 27 August 2020 is published here, which includes 547 devices delivered to Merton Council: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/912888/Devices_and_4G_wireless_routers_progress_data_as_of_27_August_2020.pdfAllocations were originally equivalent to a school’s potential need if it fully closed. Attendance data suggests most schools are not closing fully, but instead are supporting small groups of children that are not able to attend school because they are self-isolating. The Department has changed the number of devices allocated to each school to reflect this. In the context of significant global demand for laptops and tablets, this ensures that as many children as possible can benefit from a device at the point at which their face-to-face education is disrupted. If schools are experiencing disruption to face-to-face education and believe they have a need for additional devices, they should contact the Department’s service team to request additional laptops or tablets.

Pupils: Attendance

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason overall school attendance was 89 per cent on 5 November 2020 in England when only 4 per cent of students were recorded as absent for covid-19 related reasons.

Nick Gibb: There are a number of reasons why a pupil might be absent from school and the rate of absence is likely to vary by phase of schools and throughout the year. In the 2018/19 academic year the overall absence rate was 4.7%. This includes authorised and unauthorised absences.

Teachers: Coronavirus

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to provide schools in England with additional funding to fund supply teachers needed to cover for staff who are self-isolating as a result of advice from NHS Test and Trace.

Nick Gibb: The Department’s guidance for schools on full opening sets out the options available for schools seeking to manage staffing capacity as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition to using supply teachers and other temporary or peripatetic teachers, schools can also consider using existing staff more flexibly, including support staff and ITT trainees, or volunteers, as would usually be the case. This guidance can be found: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.Schools have continued to receive their budgets as usual, which has ensured they have been able to continue to pay for staff and meet their other regular financial commitments. As stated in our guidance, schools should continue to use their existing resources to manage staffing capacity. Where schools do hire agency workers, we recommend they consider using the Department for Education and Crown Commercial Service’s agency supply deal, as this offers a list of preferred suppliers that must be transparent about the rates they charge.We continue to work with stakeholders and representative bodies to understand the staffing capacity pressures that schools are facing and how we might best support them.

Qualifications: Coronavirus

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government plans to produce before the end of the autumn 2020 term transparent and standard contingency assessment plans and processes for GCSEs and A levels in the event that the 2021 examinations may not be safely or fairly held.

Nick Gibb: Examinations and assessments are the best and fairest way of judging pupils’ performance. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State has confirmed that next year’s GCSE, AS level, and A level examination series will go ahead.The Department is working with Ofqual and engaging widely with the education sector to identify any risks to examinations at a national, local, and individual student level, and to consider measures needed to address any potential disruption. For example, if a pupil is unable to sit examinations due to illness or self isolation, or if schools are affected by a local outbreak during the examination season resulting in examination centres not being able to open. Further details will be published later in the autumn.

Secondary Education: Coronavirus

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing secondary schools in England to end the autumn 2020 term a week early to help control the spread of covid-19.

Nick Gibb: It continues to be the Department’s aim that all pupils, in all year groups, remain in school full-time. The Government has taken a national decision to prioritise education during the current period of national restrictions in order to avoid any further reduction in face to face education for children and young people.Returning to school full time has been vital for children’s education and wellbeing. Time out of school is detrimental for children’s cognitive and academic development, particularly for disadvantaged children. This impact can affect both current attainment and children’s future ability to learn.The risk to children of becoming severely ill from COVID-19 is low and there are negative health impacts of being out of school. Senior clinicians, including the Chief Medical Officers of all four nations, still advise that school is the very best place for children to be, and so they should continue to go to school.The Department published ‘Guidance for full opening: schools to support schools’ to welcome back all pupils from the start of the autumn term and schools have implemented a range of protective measures to minimise risk of transmission. The full guidance can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.It is important that children are in school, for their education and wellbeing, and to help working parents and guardians. The Department does not currently have plans to ask schools to change their Christmas holidays or close early this term.

Remote Education: Coronavirus

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in England were told on 24 October 2020 by his Department that their allocation of laptops for disadvantaged pupils had been reduced.

Nick Gibb: The Department has invested £195 million to support remote education and access to online social care. In addition to over 220,000 laptops and tablets being delivered during the summer term for disadvantaged children who would not otherwise have access, we have supplemented this support by making an additional 340,000 laptops and tablets available in the event that face-to-face education is disrupted as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Since September 2020, over 100,000 of these have already been delivered to schools. More information about the allocation of laptops to date can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/929064/Ad-hoc_stats_note_shipped_data_231020_FINAL.pdf.The targeting of laptops and tablets through this scheme has continually been reviewed to ensure support is offered in the most effective way, to reflect the numbers of schools that have been disrupted and the number of laptops and tablets available at any time. In the context of significant demand, we have updated our allocation process to more accurately align orders with the number of students typically self-isolating, ensuring as many children as possible benefit from receiving a device this term. On 24 October 2020, the Department communicated this change in allocations to all schools. If schools are experiencing disruption to face-to-face education and believe they have a need for additional devices, they should contact the Department‘s service team via covid.technology@education.gov.uk to request additional laptops or tablets.

Education: Electronic Publishing

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the Government will reconsider its decision not to conduct an assessment of the academic publishing industry's pricing and licensing practices for ebooks in order to improve access to ebooks for schools and universities during the covid-19 outbreak.

Michelle Donelan: The government brought forward the zero rate of VAT on e-publications from December. The extension of the zero rate of VAT has been introduced to provide consistency in approach between certain physical and digital publications. This will make e-publications more affordable for schools and universities. The government keeps all taxes under review, including VAT. No assessment of the effect of the academic publishing industry’s pricing and licensing practices for ebooks is currently planned.On 1 October, the department announced a further remote education support package, to help schools and further education (FE) providers meet the remote education expectations set out in guidance and direction.Many elements of the support package are already in place and more will be available over the coming months to schools and FE providers. These can be accessed through the remote education service on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remote-education-during-coronavirus-covid-19.The support package includes access to the right technology to deliver remote education, peer to peer training on how to use this effectively, and practical tools, good practice guidance and school-led webinars. This adds to existing support including the resources available from Oak National Academy, which provides video lessons across a broad range of subjects for every year group from reception to year 11: https://www.thenational.academy/. Oak National Academy will remain a free optional resource for the academic year 2020/21.As part of over £195 million invested to support remote education and access to online social care, the department is making over 340,000 laptops and tablets available this term to support disadvantaged children whose face-to-face education may be disrupted.

Universities: Coronavirus

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to the public purse is of his Department's contracts with (a) accountancy and (b) auditing for the purposes of supporting universities to access finances during the covid-19 outbreak.

Michelle Donelan: Higher education providers are autonomous organisations and are responsible for their own arrangements for in-house and contracted expertise to support their financial management. The Department for Education does not contract with accountancy and audit firms on behalf of providers.On 16 July my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced arrangements for the Higher Education Restructuring Regime which may be deployed as a last resort, if a decision has been made, to support a higher education provider in England at risk of financial failure, when other steps to mitigate the risks or preserve its viability have not proved sufficient.The department will draw in accountancy and auditing expertise from external firms, on a call-off basis, to support demand-led individual casework as necessary.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to announce Additional High Needs funding to March 2024; and whether he plans that funding will be based on an assessment of local need rather than historical spend.

Vicky Ford: As a part of our major investment in education, the department has announced significant increases to high needs funding. This year, we have already provided an £780 million increase into high needs, which will be followed up by an additional £730 million in the 2021-22 financial year. This means that the high needs budgets will have grown by over £1.5 billion, nearly 25%, in just 2 years.High needs funding for the 2022-23 financial year will be drawn from the overall core schools budget. As announced last year, the core school budget for the 2022-23 financial year will total £52.2 billion, which is a year-on-year increase of £4.8 billion. We will announce the high needs budget for 2022-23 in due course. Funding for the 2023-24 financial year will be determined in the next Spending Review.This additional high needs funding will be allocated via the high needs national funding formula. This formula was introduced in the 2018-19 financial year after extensive consultation and was a significant step forward in making the allocation of funding fairer. The formula is based on the population of 2 to 18-year olds in a local authority area, and includes a number of factors which together are intended to reflect the level of need in the area.

Pupil Premium

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the overall funding for the pupil premium has been increased in line with the increase in the number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals in the UK.

Vicky Ford: We are monitoring the eligibility for free school meals (FSM) and the pupil premium as part of the normal policy making process. We will collect definitive information on the number of pupils who are eligible for FSM at the October school census.We are committed to levelling up opportunities to make sure everyone has a fair chance to realise their potential and no-one is left behind. The pupil premium furthers this objective by helping schools improve the academic attainment and wider outcomes of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.Since the pupil premium was introduced in 2011, it has provided more than £18 billion of additional funding for schools and has played an important role in contributing to the narrowing of the disadvantaged attainment gaps at age 11 and 16.Pupil premium allocations for the financial year 2020-21 were published in June, and the first quarterly instalments were paid out in June and July. Announcements on pupil premium funding for the financial year 2021-22 will follow later in the year. Announcements for future years will be made in due course.

Breakfast Clubs: Finance

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding his Department provides to support breakfast clubs in England; how many (a) schools that funding is allocated to and (b) children that funding covers; what the cost per child of that funding was in each year since that funding was introduced; and what plans the Government has for that funding after March 2021.

Vicky Ford: The department is investing up to £35 million into the National School Breakfast Programme. This includes our extension of the programme by a further year until March 2021, with up to £11.8 million being invested during the current 2020-21 financial year. Overall, this money will kick-start or improve breakfast clubs in up to 2,450 schools in disadvantaged areas, making them sustainable in the long run.Our supplier Family Action has estimated that 280,000 pupils, in more than 1,800 schools, had access to a healthy nutritious breakfast every school day between March 2018 to March 2020. Over this period the government spent £23,672,238.23. More information can be found here: https://www.family-action.org.uk/content/uploads/2019/07/NSBP-Impact-report-v11-LOWRES.pdf.The government is considering how it can support breakfast clubs beyond March 2021 and recently issued a Prior Information Notice to gather evidence in relation to future policy and delivery for breakfast clubs. Future spending remains subject to the Spending Review.

Children in Care

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education in the Adjournment debate on Children in the Care System: Sibling Contact on 4 March 2020, Official Report, col 957, when the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 are planned to be updated.

Vicky Ford: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, spoke in the adjournment debate on sibling contact for children living in care in March 2020. The Secretary of State for Education, said, during the debate, the current legislative framework places a duty on local authorities to promote contact between the child and their family members, unless this is not reasonably practical or consistent with the child’s welfare. Schedule 2 of the Children and Families Act (2004) requires local authorities to promote contact between a looked-after child and any relative, friend or other person connected with the child (including siblings), as long as it is consistent with the child’s welfare and reasonably practical.Furthermore, we recognise the importance of sibling relationships and have made it clear – in The Children’s Act (1989) Guidance and Regulations: Volume 2: Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (2015) - that sibling groups should be placed together where it is appropriate and possible and in the best interests of all children within the group. Where this is not possible, we understand the importance of maintaining an ongoing relationship between children living in care and their siblings, whether they are in care or not. However, we are clear that the child’s needs, wishes, and welfare are the most important considerations when making decisions about their care and who they keep in touch with, when and how. For many children, having contact with family, friends and others is hugely valued, and may help towards a stable and successful placement.During the debate, the Secretary of State for Education re-affirmed the government’s commitment to amending the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations (2020) to make explicit reference to the importance of children living in care having contact with all their siblings, where that is appropriate and consistent with the welfare of all siblings.Given the circumstances since the debate was held in March 2020, we have been unable to identify an appropriate opportunity to consult on this amendment. However, this remains an important action and we will seek to complete it as soon as we are able to.

Home Education: Qualifications

Darren Henry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that home-educated students are taken account of when his Department is forming its policy on the sitting of GCSE, AS and A-level examinations due to take place in 2021.

Nick Gibb: Examinations are the best and fairest way of judging pupils’ performance, and it is the Department’s intention that next year’s GCSE, AS and A level exam series will go ahead.The Department is working with Ofqual to engage with the sector, including those representing home-educated pupils, to develop contingencies if disruption as a result of COVID-19 affects pupils’ ability to sit examinations. Following a period of engagement, more details will be published later in the autumn.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of violence and self-harm in prisons in (a) the West Midlands and (b) England; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the incidence of violence and self-harm in those prisons.

Lucy Frazer: The attached table shows the number of assaults and self-harm incidents by prisoners in custody in the West Midlands and England, from January 2019 to June 2020.Levels of self-harm fell 15% in the most recent quarter (April to June 2020) in England and Wales and violence fell by 37% over the same time period and by 19% in the 12 months to June 2020. Levels of self-harm and violence also fell in prisons in the West Midlands over the most recent quarter.Statistics for the 12 months to June, and particularly those for the April to June quarter, relate to the exceptional period since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and the restricted regimes prisons put in place in order to safely manage the risks of infection during the pandemic. This affects the comparability of the statistics with earlier periods.With a small number of tragic exceptions, the decisive action we took at the beginning of the pandemic has meant tens of thousands of officers and prisoners have been kept safe in the face of perhaps the greatest challenge ever to face the service.We are under no illusions about the impact of the measures which were put in place to protect lives and we have made prisoners’ wellbeing our priority. We’ve enabled continued family contact through more than 1,500 secure mobile phones and secure video calls and provided a range of in-cell activities to mitigate the impact of isolation. We continue to work closely with the Samaritans who are providing support for Listeners - selected prisoners trained to provide emotional support to their fellow prisoners and who continue to offer their phone service for emotional support.More widely, we are spending £100 million to bolster prison security, clamping down on the weapons, drugs and mobile phones that fuel violence and crime behind bars. This is funding tough measures including x-ray body scanners and phone-blocking technology. We are giving officers tools like PAVA pepper spray and body-worn cameras to make their jobs safer.We recognise the need to remain vigilant to the risks to prisoners and staff as impacts of the virus continue.Table (xlsx, 9.1KB)

Prisoners' Release

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to support prisoners on release in (a) the West Midlands and (b) England.

Lucy Frazer: We are working collaboratively with other government departments and interested parties. Through the Rough Sleeping Strategy, the Government is investing up to £6.4m in a pilot to provide improved accommodation support through a new partnership approach between prisons, probation providers and Local Authorities (LA) to plan, secure and sustain accommodation for prisoners on their release.The National Probation Service has improved commissioning rates and set minimum levels of funding for their commissioning of TTG services from CRCs for those people leaving non-resettlement prisons. This TTG service includes providing help to prison leavers with finding accommodation on their release.The CRCs are currently working to a TTG Exceptional Delivery Model which identifies the minimum requirement for TTG delivery during the COVID-19 period taking into account the necessary restrictions to prison regimes. During the period of COVID-19, we set up seven divisional Homelessness Prevention Teams (HPTs) to deal with the urgent issues presenting in relation to securing accommodation for those being released from prison, initially as part of the End of Custody Temporary Release (ECTR) scheme and latterly in accordance with their Conditional Release Date (CRD). These teams have been very successful in securing improved accommodation outcomes and building new local partnerships with local authorities and housing partners.A critical part of the HPTs success has been the exceptional funding scheme agreed with HMT to fund the provision of accommodation to individuals released from prison and at risk of homelessness. This emergency approval was for a limited time and ran from 18th May, closing to new entrants on 31st August as the public health and public protection risks warranted it. However, in light of the recent Government announcements relating to the introduction of the new three-tier COVID alert level system, and the national restrictions in England and Wales HMPPS considered the public health benefits of reinstating the emergency accommodation scheme. It has been agreed to reinstate the scheme until 21st January 2021, subject to regular review.

Prisons: Coronavirus

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether (a) directly and (b) non-directly employed prison staff who are instructed to (i) self-isolate in response to track and trace or (ii) shield are entitled to full pay; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: Directly employed prison staff who are instructed to self-isolate or shield will receive special leave with full pay. This is consistent with the approach taken for all Ministry of Justice employees.There are two main types of non-directly employed prison staff - agency workers and sessional workers.Agency workers are employees of their respective agency, therefore there is no entitlement to HMPPS occupational sick pay or paid special leave. This is consistent with Agency Worker Regulations 2010. Where an agency worker is shielding in line with public health guidance, they will be able to access the Job Retention Scheme through their employer, the agency. Agency workers required to self-isolate in response to track and trace are eligible for Statutory Sick Pay.Where someone is classed as a sessional worker, there is no obligation to provide them with work, or for them to accept it. Typically, these workers will be in prisons, in roles such as chaplains. A decision by HMPPS was taken early on to pay sessional workers who were unable to work during the first wave of Covid-19, either due to shielding, self-isolating or where work had temporarily ceased.This approach ensures parity across all types of non-directly employed prison staff.

Youth Custody

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page 65 of Her Majesty’s Inspector of Prisons’ Annual Report 2019-20, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the statement from the inspector that there has been a strategic failure in the delivery and governance of children's custody.

Lucy Frazer: I welcome Her Majesty’s Inspector of Prisons’ Annual Report 2019-20 and take very seriously the report’s assessment of youth custody highlighted by the Hon. member.In the short to medium term, the Youth Custody Service is carrying out a reform programme designed to create a child-focused youth estate. For example, the new youth justice specialist role continues to be embedded within the YCS, with funding for every prison officer in youth custody services to take up a foundation degree in youth justice. The YCS has also commissioned a programme of research, in collaboration with academics, to evaluate and learn lessons from the impact and response to Covid-19. The results will inform its recovery planning.In the longer term, we aim to replace the existing estate with a network of secure schools and similar smaller units, drawing on evidence that smaller, more therapeutic units operated by child-focused providers are more effective in reducing reoffending and improving outcomes for children in custody. We are making progress toward the planned opening of the first secure school in 2022.

Prisons: Telecommunications

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prisoners in the (a) adult male, (b) adult female and (c) youth estate have access to (i) in-cell telephony and (ii) in-cell intranet; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: Currently there are just over 36,500 cells across the public estate with live in-cell telephony. There are 13 private prisons, nearly 11,500 cells, which also have live in-cell telephony. Across both the public and private prisons, 63% of the estate has in-cell telephony. Please note for (a) and (c) figures are not fully reflective due to some locations having both adult male and YOI. This data only refers to cabled in-cell telephony. Since March 2020 we have deployed over 1000 secure mobile pin-phones to ensure that those sites without in-cell telephones have been able to maintain contact with family and friends. In cell telephony: (a) In 47% of adult male prisons the roll out is completed (figures based on 94 closed male prisons) (b) All of the closed female estate will have in-cell telephony by March 2021. Currently at 63%, in five of eight sites, the roll out is currently complete. (c) All of the closed youth custody estate has in-cell telephony. These four sites are: Cookham Wood, Feltham, Wetherby and Werrington  In-cell intranetAccess to in-cell intranet requires in-cell technology, we provide this through in-cell laptops. There are currently two prisons which have in-cell laptops, these are HMP Wayland and HMP Berwyn.

Young Offenders: Housing

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to accelerate the identification of accommodation for children released from custody.

Lucy Frazer: I recognise that stable accommodation is a key factor in the substantial wraparound support that children require upon their release from custody. My department is working across government to explore options for improving the provision of accommodation.To plan for the effective resettlement of children who are released from custody, the Youth Custody Service is reviewing its casework model. This will lead to a new Resettlement Framework and improvements to the multi-agency working that is required to support children in preparing for their release.

Prisons: Education

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Written Statement of 13 October 2020, Official Report HCWS506, Adult Skills and National Retraining Scheme Update, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the scope of the National Skills Fund to include prison education.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Written Statement of 13 October 2020, Official Report HCWS506, Adult Skills and National Retraining Scheme Update, whether the National Skills Fund will be used to invest in prison (a) staff, and (b) in-cell technology.

Lucy Frazer: Education in prison is funded by HMPPS and helps individuals develop the skills they need to unlock their potential, gain employment, and become assets to their communities. My officials continue to work with colleagues in the Department for Education to ensure that prisoners are well prepared to take advantage of community education provision on release.

Prisons: Education

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2020 to Question 98913 on Prisons: Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to Prison Education Framework provider staffing levels on levels of service delivery by those providers.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2020 to Question 98913 on Prisons: Education, what assessment he has made of the reasons for there being a potential erosion of service delivery by Prison Education Framework providers.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2020 to Question 98913 on Prisons: Education, what steps he has taken to tackle the potential erosion of service delivery by Prison Education Framework providers.

Lucy Frazer: As previously stated, all Prison Education Framework (PEF) providers are contracted to provide a service and, so long as they provide this, the staffing of the service and the PEF providers’ management of their staff is a matter for them and not the MoJ. Since the introduction of restrictions due to Covid-19 we have been working with all PEF and Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) providers to support prisons. This has allowed us to enable learning to continue via in cell activity, distraction material and learning packs. PEF providers are now submitting revised curriculum plans, in consultation with each establishment, to ensure delivery of their services during this difficult time and to meet the needs of their learners. All PEF provider delivery and performance is regularly monitored via monthly and quarterly management meetings.

Young Offender Institutions

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to improve contact between children in young offender institutions and their (a) parents, (b) carers and (c) friends.

Lucy Frazer: During the COVID-19 pandemic it is more important than ever that children are able to speak to family, friends and carers given this will be a particularly unsettling period for many children in custody.There has been a focus within the Youth Custody Service (YCS) on delivering essential activities such as regular phone calls (with young people having been allocated additional free phone credit and phone lines being opened for longer periods) and ‘Enhanced SECURE STAIRS’. This integrated framework of care jointly led by NHS England and NHS Improvement and the YCS provides the foundations on how the YCS works with children, underlining the vital role of social interaction and the importance of connectivity while adhering to the guidance on physical distancing. The Youth Estate has also been prioritised for in-room telephony installation and have used technology to facilitate virtual visits to enable all children and young people to stay in touch with their loved ones, and additional funding has been received for the roll out of secure in-room technology across public sector YOIs. Children and young people also have the opportunity to write and send letters, as well as having access to advocacy services and charities such as Barnardo’s and Childline.Following publication of the National Framework for Prison Regimes and Services on 2 June, key aspects of regime delivery restarted across under 18 Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) from mid-July including social visits and the Custody Support Plan (CuSP) – providing children with a personal officer to work with on a weekly basis in order to build trust and consistency - as we continue to look to maintain regime in a manner that is safe and sustainable. During this period, it has been the priority of the YCS to maintain social interaction with children and their family: that is why, following the further national restrictions announced in England, face-to-face social visits with family (and contact with corporate parents and professionals) will continue for children in custody, ensuring sustained mental health and wellbeing. Where face-to-face visits are not possible, children and young people will still be able to continue contact virtually with their loved ones.

Prisons: Education

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2020 to Question 98913 on Prisons: Education, when he plans for Prison Education Framework providers to return to full delivery of their services.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2020 to Question 98913 on Prisons: Education, what estimate he has made of the number of teaching hours lost by each Prison Education Framework provider as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Lucy Frazer: While regimes have been restricted, we have been working with all Prison Education Framework (PEF) and Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) providers to support prisons. This has allowed us to help to enable learning to continue through a blend of in cell activity, distraction material and learning packs. The information requested in relation to teaching hours is not collected as it is not a requirement of the current contracts to capture this information. We recognise the impact restrictions brought in to control the spread of infection have on services in prisons and that these restrictions must be proportionate to the risk posed. We will continue to keep them under active review. Our National Framework, which sets out in detail how we will take decisions about managing coronavirus-related restrictions in prisons, was published on GOV.UK on 2 June: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-national-framework-for-prison-regimes-and-services Our plan for easing restrictions in prisons, or re-introducing them where necessary, continues to be guided by public health advice alongside an operational assessment of what can be safely implemented, ensuring that we can keep staff and prisoners safe.

Prisons: Education

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2020 to Question 98913 on Prisons: Education, which suppliers have accepted offers of supplier relief from his Department; and how much relief has been provided by his Department to each of those suppliers.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2020 to Question 98913 on Prisons: Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the (a) capacity and (b) capability of Prison Education Framework providers to deliver their contractual requirements.

Lucy Frazer: We’ve recently reviewed all Prison Education Framework (PEF) providers to look at their ability to deliver education services under the current Covid- 19 restrictions.Currently PEF and Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) suppliers continue to be paid ‘on profile’, a fixed amount of the annual value each month as required under the original contract. This is based on the full contract value and has helped maintain supplier cash flow during this period. The relief period is part of the 2nd PEF contract year which finishes at the end of March next year. After this point, HMPPS will work with suppliers to reconcile the profile payments made against the value of the actual delivery and relief that is due for undelivered education under the contracts. As of 16 November, 47 suppliers have accepted offers of relief, however, it is not appropriate to provide the suppliers’ details as this is commercially confidential information. It will not be possible to reach a figure for the total relief provided until the process of reconciling the payments has been completed.All education providers are now submitting revised curriculum plans, in consultation with each prison establishment, to better reflect their ability to deliver services during this difficult time and to meet the needs of their learners.

Youth Custody

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a right to review for children held in custody cells for more than 20 hours per day.

Lucy Frazer: Following the H M Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) thematic report on separation in under-18 Young Offender Institutions (YOIs) published in January, and the subsequent publication of the Separation Taskforce’s report in June, we have committed to establishing a new system and approach for separation, with work now progressing. This work and policy will include a range of aspects, including review of decisions and representations.This is in addition to immediate actions taken in response of the HMIP thematic report, including: the introduction of additional resources to ensure robust management and improve national and local oversight; the introduction of a national single point of contact to review oversight arrangements for separation, ensuring local accountability is in place across establishments and feeding in centrally; and a new approach to ensure separation data for public sector YOIs is captured centrally on a monthly basis.

Prisons: Education

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure the involvement of (a) prison educators, (b) education unions and (c) other stakeholders in the development of the Prisoner Education Service.

Lucy Frazer: We have engaged with a variety of stakeholders on our plans for the future of prison education and will continue to do so. This year we carried out consultation with education providers, the University and College Union and Ofsted as part of our work to improve the delivery of careers guidance, to help ensure prisoners are able to identify realistic career goals and complete relevant education while still in custody.

Care Proceedings

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of care proceedings cases have not been heard within the six month limit in each of the last three years.

Alex Chalk: Information relating to the time to the first definitive disposal for care proceedings is published by the Ministry of Justice on a quarterly basis. The table below details the latest published statistics on the total number of disposals in care proceedings, the mean and medial disposal duration (in weeks), and the proportion of disposals made within 26 weeks, in each of the last three years.The number of disposals relates to the number of children subject to a disposal outcome. The following outcomes are considered as disposals for the purposes of these statistics:The making of a Care Order, Supervision Order, Residence order or Special Guardianship Order;A decision by the court to make no order; andThe withdrawal of an application. The latest Family Courts Statistics Quarterly publication can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2020YearTotal DisposalsMean disposal duration (weeks)Median disposal duration (weeks)% disposed in 26 weeks2017 26,22128.225.357%2018 25,84930.426.449%2019 23,83733.229.641%

Juries: Coronavirus

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of covid-19 have been confirmed among jurors by court.

Chris Philp: Since 18 August until Friday 12 November there have been 28 confirmed positive test results for Covid-19 reported among jurors in 16 locations across HM Courts & Tribunals Service’s estate. During this period the Jury Central Summoning Bureau transferred approximately 52,0001 people to the courts for jury service. There are currently jury trials running in 79 Crown Courts, 5 Nightingale Courts and 4 other existing court locations. Table – Number of confirmed Covid-19 among jurors by court.Bristol Crown Court1Cardiff Crown Court2Chester Crown Court3Cardiff City Hall1Harrow Crown Court1Inner London Crown Court1Leicester Crown Court1Liverpool Queen Elizabeth 2 Law Courts2Maidstone Combined Court5Newcastle Combined Court2Preston Combined Court1Reading Crown Court3Sheffield Combined Court1Snaresbrook Crown Court1Southwark Crown Court1Teeside Combined Court2Total28We take swift and robust action for each suspected or positive case. There should be no assumption that a confirmed case indicates that there has transmission within a court building and not all confirmed cases relate to the same empanelled jury. Before restarting jury trials all courts have completed a Jury Trial checklist in addition to the risk assessments we have completed in all open courts and tribunals. Public Health England have reviewed our arrangements and they have confirmed that our standards meet their guidance.All data is internal and not subject to the same level of checks as official published statistics. Although care has been taken when processing and analysing this, the details may be subject to revisions inherent in any large-scale manual system.1 This includes jurors who may be excused, deferred or released by the court before serving, and that random selection means that not all jurors get on a trial.

Prisoners on Remand

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the extension to custody time limits on the number of people being held in pre-trial custody.

Chris Philp: The most recently publicly available data on the remand population covers the period to 30 September 2020 and therefore would not demonstrate any potential effect of the extension to custody time limits. CTL extensions are being routinely granted amongst those who were remanded before the SI came into force. As such the changes will not necessarily lead to a substantial increase in the remand population. However, the MoJ and HMPPS will continue to assess any anticipated impacts to effectively manage the number of prison places available.

Courts: Coronavirus

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans his Department has to introduce Nightingale courts with secure docks.

Chris Philp: We have added vital capacity by opening 16 Nightingale courts to provide 29 extra court rooms, 10 of which are being used for non-custodial jury trials. These additional courtrooms free up room in existing courts to hear criminal cases such as jury trials that need the cells and secure dock facilities that our existing courts can provide.We are considering further Nightingale courts, including sites that can potentially provide for custodial cases, however no final decisions have been made. HMCTS will engage with prisoner escort services on any proposed custodial facilities, to ensure that all security and safety requirements are met.The HMCTS Criminal Courts Recovery Plan has been published, and can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/court-and-tribunal-recovery-update-in-response-to-coronavirus.Non-secure work can move from existing Crown Courts and Nightingale Courts, freeing up secure space for criminal trials.

Courts: Coronavirus

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of covid-19 have been confirmed among the (a) staff, (b) judiciary and (c) users of each court.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of covid-19 have been confirmed among tribunal (a) staff, (b) judiciary and (c) users by tribunal.

Chris Philp: ince 18 August we have recorded all confirmed positive incidents of COVID-19 affecting HMCTS buildings centrally. We take swift and robust action for each suspected or positive case. There should be no assumption that a positive case indicates that there has been transmission within a court or tribunal building. 98% of our 341 buildings are open and operational. HMCTS employs around 18,800 staff and there are around 19,400 judicial office holders. Between the 18 August and 12 November confirmed positive COVID-19 cases reported to HMCTS are as follows:Across the courts:A) HMCTS staff – 276B) Judiciary – 45C) Court users – 89Across the tribunals:A) HMCTS staff – 19B) Judiciary – 4C) Tribunal users – 1 The following two tables provide a more detailed breakdown of the specific HMCTS locations and numbers.Table 1: shows breakdown of positive COVID-19 cases identified at court locations for staff, judiciary, and court users between 18 August and 12 November.Court locationStaffJudiciaryCourt usersAylesbury Crown Court001Basildon Combined Court100Birkenhead County Court810Birmingham CJC801Birmingham Crown Court201Birmingham CTSC100Birmingham Magistrates’ Court700Blackburn Family Court400Blackburn Magistrates’ Court001Blackpool County Court100Blackpool Magistrates’ Court101Bolton Combined302Bradford and Keighley Magistrates Court100Bradford Combined310Bristol CFJC600Bromley County Court100Bromley Magistrates’011Bury St Edmunds - South East & London Divorce700Bury St Edmunds Maintenance enforcement centre100Cambridge County Court010Cannock Magistrates’ Court001Canterbury Combined Court201Cardiff Crown Court204Cardiff Magistrates’ Court102Carlisle Combined100Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court010Chester CJC501Chester Crown Court002Chester Magistrates’ Court200Chesterfield Justice Centre110Clerkenwell and Shoreditch County Court200Colchester Magistrates’ Court020Coventry Magistrates’ Court000Croydon Magistrates’ Court010Darlington County Court400Derby Combined200Derby Magistrates’ Court110Doncaster Justice Centre North103Dudley Magistrates’ Court010Ealing Magistrates’ Court010East London Family Court100Gateshead Law Courts100Gloucester County & Family Court100Gloucester Twyver House100Grimsby Combined Court002Grimsby Magistrates’ Court100Guildford Combined Court010Harrogate Justice Centre100Harrow Crown Court001Hendon Magistrates’ Court100High Wycombe law courts010Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court120Hull Combined Court Centre202Hull Magistrates’ Court001Inner London Crown Court011Ipswich Magistrates’ Court100Isleworth Crown Court001Kingston Crown Court101Kirklees Magistrates’ Court200Lavender Hill Magistrates’010Leeds Combined Court402Leeds Magistrates’201Leeds, Ailsa House500Leicester Crown Court101Leicester Magistrates‘101Lewes Combined Court100Leyland Family Court010Liverpool - Queen Elizabeth 2 Law Courts804Liverpool - St Georges Hall (ACTC)100Liverpool CFC510Llanelli Law Courts001London Central Criminal Court200London Central Family Court500London, City of London Magistrates’010London, Prospero House100London, Rolls Building100Loughborough CTSC100Luton Crown Court100Luton Justice Centre001Luton Magistrates’ Court201Maidstone Combined Court001Manchester CJC1610Manchester Crown Minshull Street001Manchester Crown Square502Manchester Magistrates’ Court831Mansfield Magistrates’ and County100Medway County Court200Merthyr Combined300Milton Keynes Magistrates’ Court001Newcastle CFC301Newcastle Combined Court501Newcastle Probate Registry100Newport Crown Court100Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court100North Shields CFC100North Staffordshire Justice Centre011North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court011Norwich Combined Court111Nottingham Crown Court402Nottingham Justice Centre501Oxford Combined Court003Oxford Magistrates’ Court001Peterborough Combined Court300Peterlee Magistrates’ Court001Plymouth Combined Court400Poole Magistrates’ Court001Port Talbot Justice Centre110Portsmouth Combined Court100Portsmouth Magistrates’001Portsmouth Magistrates’000Preston Combined Court413Preston Magistrates Court111RCJ - Criminal Appeal Office100RCJ Rolls building100RCJ/QBD120Reading Crown Court010Reading Magistrates’ Court100Reedley Family Hearing Centre300Salford CCMC800Scarborough Justice Centre101Sefton Magistrates’001Sheffield Combined Court703Sheffield Family Hearing Centre100Sheffield Magistrates’ Court403Southampton Combined010Southampton Magistrates’ Court101Southend Combined Court100Southwark Crown Court200St Georges Hall (ACTC)100St Helens County Court100Stafford Combined Court100Staines County Court010Staines Magistrates’ Court010Stevenage Magistrates’ Court001Stockport Combined001Stoke CTSC Bennett House400Stoke on Trent Combined Court200Stratford Magistrates’ Court100Swansea CJC200Swindon Magistrates’ Court100Tameside Magistrates' Court211Taunton Combined Court100Taunton Magistrates’ Court100Teesside Combined Court301Teesside Magistrates’ Court300Telford Justice Centre010The Lowry001Truro Combined Court000Truro Crown Court001Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court001Walsall Magistrates’ Court300Warrington Combined Court200Westminster Magistrates’ Court100Wigan Magistrates’ and County Court102Willesden Magistrates’ Court050Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court201Wirral Magistrates’ Court101Wolverhampton Combined Court110Woolwich Crown Court100Worcester Justice Centre000Wrexham County Court300Wrexham Magistrates’ Court100Yeovil County, Family & Magistrates001York Crown Court000TOTALS2764589  Table 2: shows breakdown of positive COVID-19 cases identified at tribunal locations for staff, judiciary, and tribunal users between 18 August and 12 November.Tribunal locationStaffJudiciaryUserBirmingham ET110Bradford, Phoenix House301Glasgow Tribunal Centre200Harmondsworth Tribunal Hearing Centre010Hatton Cross IAC110Leeds ET, City Exchange100Leeds York House100Liverpool SSCS100London, Fox Court100London, Field House010London, Victory House200Manchester ET200Manchester Tribunals Hearing Centre300Plymouth, St Catherine's Tribunal Hearing Centre100TOTALS1941 All data is internal and not subject to the same level of checks as official published statistics. Although care has been taken when processing and analysing this, the details may be subject to revisions inherent in any large-scale manual system.

Courts: Domestic Abuse

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the annual cost is of running specialist domestic violence courts.

Chris Philp: Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), does not hold information on the annual cost of running Specialist Domestic Violence Courts (SDVCs) as the cost is shared across Criminal Justice Agencies and other stakeholders.

Courts: Video Conferencing

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many police forces in England have opted out of the use of video links to courts.

Chris Philp: The National Police Chiefs’ Council has confirmed that all forces should withdraw from the use of video remand hearings by the end of December 2020. Currently, 13 police forces in England have withdrawn.

Magistrates: Job Satisfaction

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on the morale of magistrates of HM Courts and Tribunals Service's decision to no longer deliver certificates of service to magistrates.

Chris Philp: The issuing of long service certificates was paused temporarily in March due to Covid-19. Since July 2020, Judicial Office have been processing all outstanding long service certificates.In addition to certificates for twenty years’ service, in October 2020, we introduced long service certificates to recognise both ten- and 30- years’ service within the magistracy. The implementation of these have been backdated until January 2020.

Courts: Domestic Abuse

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many specialist domestic violence courts have been in operation in each of the last 10 years.

Chris Philp: Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not hold data on how many Specialist Domestic Violence Courts (SDVC) have been in operation in each one of the last 10 years.

Prisons: Education

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will list the key performance indicators specified by Prison Education Framework contracts.

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of key performance indicators within the Prison Education Framework have been met by each prison education provider in each prison in each of the last four quarters; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The Prison Education Framework (PEF) contract has three Service levels that relate to: the completion of accredited courses and accredited outcomes; other course completion rates; and for the actions and targets of Teacher Quality Management Plans (TQMP) plans being met. While regimes have been restricted due to Covid-19, only the service level relating to TQMP is operating at present in a revised format. The service levels relating to the completion of accredited courses and accredited outcomes and that relating to other course completion rates had been due to start this April, but due to Covid-19 have not yet commenced. To comply with the restrictions around social distancing and to minimise contact between people in prisons HMPPS issued (on 24 and 28 March) temporary Operational Guidance to all prison governors to help them reduce the spread of COVID-19 in prisons. These measures included the stopping of all non-essential activities and all face to face education delivery. Our National Framework, which provides a roadmap for easing restrictions in prisons has been guided by public health advice alongside an operational assessment of what can be achieved in custodial settings while keeping staff and those in our care safe. Not all establishments will move at the same pace. Prisons must demonstrate readiness and gain agreement from local health authorities, before easing restrictions. The most recent available information on approved PEF provider TQMP plans is provided, by individual prison in the attached table. Overall performance, for all providers is also displayed below. Reporting periodPercentage of TQMPs approvedApril to June 201998%July to September 201988%October to December 201983%January to March 202087%Table (xlsx, 14.7KB)

Administrative Law Independent Review

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will ensure that submissions to the Independent Review of Administrative Law are published.

Alex Chalk: The Independent Panel for Administrative Law is currently cataloguing and analysing the responses to the call for evidence which is crucial for their ongoing deliberations. As the panel is independent, it remains a matter for the panel to determine how it intends to treat the evidence received in its report. Once the Government receives the panel’s report, the Government will then determine when and how it responds including publication and the underlying evidence in due course.

Ministry of Justice: Remote Working

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of staff in agencies sponsored by his Department are working from home.

Alex Chalk: On the 13th November 2020, for the agency of the Office of the Public Guardian, 1,340 staff, which equates to 81% of their headcount were working from home. For the agency of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, 200 staff which equates to 94% of their headcount that would have been working on that day, were working from home. For the agency of the Legal Aid Agency, 1,159 staff which equates to 93% of their headcount were working from home.

Ministry of Justice: Remote Working

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of (a) HM Courts and Tribunals Service, (b) HM Prison and Probation Service and (c) Crown Prosecution Service staff are working from home.

Alex Chalk: On the 13th November 2020, for HMCTS, 5,439 staff which equates to 28% of their headcount were working from home. HMPPS do not record this information and the CPS is an independent department that is superintended by the Attorney General, thus the AGO should be approached for information relating to the CPS.

Remand in Custody: Coronavirus

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of cases in which pre-trial custody has been extended under the provisions in  Prosecution of Offences (Custody Time Limits) (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020.

Chris Philp: The Ministry of Justice publishes information on remands found in the ‘Remands: Magistrates’ Court’ and ‘Remands: Crown Court’ data tools available at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888658/remands-magistrates-court-tool-2019.xlsxhttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888657/remands-crown-court-tool-2019.xlsxCentrally held information does not identify length of time an individual is remanded in custody.

Recorders

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his department has spent on Recorder sitting days in each of the last 10 years.

Chris Philp: Spend on Recorders is available for the last 5 years, financial year 2015/16 onwards. Historical costs on Recorders prior to this cannot be separately identified in our current reporting system.Recorder Salary Costs£2015-1619,050,2722016-1719,047,7932017-1819,046,1872018-1914,918,5922019-209,579,481  Total81,642,324 *The identifiable costs for Recorders are basic salary. Any associated pension and employer national insurance contributions are reported in totality and Recorder costs cannot be separately identified in our current reporting system.

Recorders

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the number of Recorder sitting days will be restored to pre covid-19 levels.

Chris Philp: We are continuing to work to maximise capacity across the whole Courts and Tribunals system. Recorders will play a key role to ensure that we deliver as many sitting days as possible in order to provide access to justice. Data relating to sitting days will be published in the first half of 2021 as part of the regular Official Statistics relating to Civil Justice.

Trials

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of criminal trials have been listed without a firm date in each quarter of the last three years on each of the seven regional circuits.

Chris Philp: Listing is a judicial matter and approaches vary from court to court. There is no national data set available on how cases have been listed, therefore management information is not sufficiently reliable for reporting purposes.

Prison Sentences

Sir Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the abolition of Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection (IPP) in 2012, whether everyone given an IPP sentence has had their sentence transmuted into a determinate sentence; and if will make a statement.

Chris Philp: As the abolition of the IPP sentence was not applied retrospectively, those who had already been sentenced to and were serving an IPP sentence continued to serve the sentence itself either because they had not yet served the minimum term of imprisonment or, where they have served the minimum term, because the independent Parole Board had determined that their risk remained too high for them to be safely managed in the community. Therefore, no offender who received an IPP sentence has had the sentence transmuted into a determinate sentence.

Forced Marriage: Prosecutions

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been successfully prosecuted for predatory marriage under section 121 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Alex Chalk: The Ministry of Justice has published information on prosecutions and convictions in the Outcomes by Offence data tool up to December 2019. Available at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888664/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2019.xlsx Search ‘Offence’ for ‘36.1 Forced marriage’. The number of prosecutions and convictions can be viewed in the table.

Wills

Mary Kelly Foy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of whether the automatic revocation of wills upon marriage provides a potential incentive for predatory marriage.

Alex Chalk: The principle in English and Welsh law that marriage has the effect of revoking wills is long established. The issue of whether marriage or civil partnership should invoke automatic revocation of the wills of those involved is being considered as part of a wider current review by the Law Commission on reforming the law of wills. That review is also examining whether there should be new rules introduced which protect the person making the will from undue influence. The Government will review the case for reforming the current law when it has received the recommendations in the Law Commission’s final report.

Funerals: Coronavirus

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what additional financial support he plans to provide to funeral directors to help them manage attendance requests from self-isolating relatives of the deceased during the covid-19 outbreak.

Alex Chalk: The Government has announced a wide series of measures to support businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, business rate relief and other measures, for which it has been open to funeral directors to apply. We continue to assess the impacts of COVID-19 and keep the funeral sector’s needs under review.The Government recognises the importance of balancing the needs of the bereaved to mourn with the need to minimise the spread of COVID-19 infection. To support the management of this balance, we have published Guidance for arranging or attending a funeral during the coronavirus pandemic which, while recognising the importance of these rituals and gatherings, details the actions which are important in reducing the spread of infection. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-managing-a-funeral-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/covid-19-guidance-for-managing-a-funeral-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic

Treasury

Self-employment Income Support Scheme

Drew Hendry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending eligibility for the Self Employment income Support Scheme to people for whom self-employment makes up over half of their income following the loss of other employment during the covid-19 outbreak.

Jesse Norman: Unlike for employees, self-employed income is not reported monthly, but at the end of each tax year on the individual’s Income Tax Self Assessment return. To protect the Exchequer from fraudulent activity, this means that the most reliable and up-to-date record of self-employed income is from 2018-19 tax returns. The self-employed are very diverse and have a wide mix of turnover and profits, with monthly and annual variations even in normal times, and in some cases with substantial alternative forms of income too. The design of the SEISS, including the eligibility requirement that an individual’s trading profits must be at least equal to their non-trading income, means it is targeted at those who most need it, and who are most reliant on their self-employment income. The Government does acknowledge that it has not been possible to support everyone as they might want. Those ineligible for the SEISS Grant Extension may still be eligible for other elements of the support available. The Universal Credit standard allowance has been temporarily increased for 2020-21 and the Minimum Income Floor relaxed for the duration of the crisis, so that where self-employed claimants' earnings have fallen significantly, their Universal Credit award will have increased to reflect their lower earnings. In addition to this, they may also have access to other elements of the package, including Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) men, (b) women and (c) other gender identities who have made claims under the extended Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

Jesse Norman: HMRC have published statistics on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). These include information on the employments supported by the CJRS broken down by the employees’ gender. The statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-coronavirus-covid-19-statistics. The statistics do not show other gender identities because HMRC do not hold that information. HMRC will publish statistics on the CJRS extension in due course. The date of publication will be pre-announced on GOV.UK. HMRC continue to monitor the use of these statistics and make improvements as necessary.

Transfer Pricing

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what penalties apply to multinational companies that fail to submit required transfer pricing information within the deadline set by HMRC.

Jesse Norman: The filing of transfer pricing documentation alongside the tax return is not currently compulsory in the UK. Taxpayers should prepare and retain such transfer pricing documentation as is reasonable given the nature, size and complexity of their business or of the relevant transaction but which adequately demonstrates that their transfer pricing meets the arm’s length standard. HMRC’s aim is to address this issue effectively while ensuring that businesses do not suffer disproportionate compliance costs. In the event of a compliance check by HMRC, if the business has not provided all the documents and information requested, HMRC have the power to issue a notice to the business requiring it to provide information and documents that HMRC reasonably require for the purpose of checking its tax position. If the business does not provide the information or produce the documents requested, HMRC may charge a penalty unless there is a reasonable excuse for the failure. If the failure continues, HMRC may charge daily penalties. If HMRC consider that the maximum daily penalties that can be assessed are insufficient for the particular case or the that records have been destroyed, a tax-related penalty may be appropriate.

Multinational Companies: Taxation

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to allocate additional resources to HMRC to support the investigation of multinational companies that report profits in other countries to reduce the amount of tax they are required to pay in the UK.

Jesse Norman: The Government continues to take significant steps, domestically and internationally, to ensure multinationals pay the right amount of tax on their activities in the UK.Through shared G20 and OECD initiatives to tackle Base Erosion and Profit Shifting, the UK remains at the forefront of multilateral action, reforming tax standards to realign taxation of profits with economic activities taking place across borders. In order to further combat profit-shifting by multinationals, the Government introduced the Diverted Profits Tax in 2015, the Corporate Interest Restriction in 2017 and the charge on Offshore Receipts in respect of Intangible Property in 2019. The Government has made significant investment to ensure non-compliance is tackled in all its forms. At Budget 2020, the Treasury provided HMRC with £63 million of additional funding in 2020-21 to tackle non-compliance, which is forecast to generate £4.7 billion of additional tax revenue over the next five years.

UK Relations with EU

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what contingency plans he has with respect to the UK's future relationship with the EU in the event of manufacturers encountering difficulties with importing components after the transition period.

Jesse Norman: The Government has provided extensive guidance to traders to support them in their preparations for the end of the transition period, including publishing the detailed Border Operating Model to help traders take the necessary steps. Recognising the impact of coronavirus on businesses’ ability to prepare, the UK Government has taken the decision to introduce the new border controls in three stages up until 1 July 2021. From 1 January to 30 June, traders when importing non-controlled EU goods to GB will have the option to make a declaration in their own records at the time of import followed by a supplementary declaration up to 175 days later, which provides traders and intermediaries with more time to prepare. HMRC continue to work closely with industry to ensure they are engaging with the new requirements and can take the necessary steps to prepare, including through the latest public information campaign, cross-Government industry steering groups, webinars and events. HMRC will continue to engage with industry beyond the end of the transition period to understand any concerns and identify any further support that HMRC can provide.

Customs: EU Countries

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when definitive advice will be available for removal companies on the customs documentation they will need from their customers in order to facilitate the transfer of their goods to destinations in the EU which are their new country of domicile; and whether there will be a central point to which that customs paperwork should be submitted.

Jesse Norman: The management of EU import and export procedures is the responsibility of the customs authorities of the Member States. It is important that businesses and individuals confirm the processes at their port of arrival and any conditions or procedures that may apply, such as the time limit goods may remain in the EU without the payment of duty. More information can be found online at https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/home_en. From 1 January 2021 export declarations and exit Safety and Security declarations will also be required for all goods moving from the UK to the EU. More information on export declarations can be found online at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-a-full-export-declaration.

Shipping: Tax Allowances

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of the covid-19 pandemic on income tax reliefs granted under the Seafarers Earnings Deduction in tax year 2020-21.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward measures in the Comprehensive Spending Review to ensure that merchant seafarers who no longer meet the qualifying criteria for the Seafarers Earnings Deduction as a result of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on the shipping industry are compensated for losses in annual income; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Seafarers Earnings Deduction (SED) entitles seafarers to a 100% deduction from income tax for their foreign earnings in certain circumstances. The deduction is available for an eligible period of at least 365 days provided that a minimum of half of the period is spent outside the UK, and that no more than 183 consecutive days are spent in the UK during that period. Eligible periods for SED are not bound to the tax year, and seafarers are able to add periods of work abroad to previous, or future, eligible periods. Seafarers that claim SED each year are likely to be able to add work done before COVID-19 restrictions to their previous eligible period, and so are unlikely to lose their SED entitlement. The Government has made support available for seafarers through many other measures. It has ensured that people who need it have received help with their utility bills, had access to mortgage and consumer credit holidays and could benefit from temporary welfare measures, including an increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance and Working Tax Credit basic element. The Government has taken recent steps to ensure that seafarers receive pay protection through the National Minimum Wage, ensuring that more than 10,000 seafarers across the UK will no longer be undercut. This builds on the Government’s work to help British maritime workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of its annual Budget process.

Self-employment Income Support Scheme

Claire Hanna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the eligibility criteria for the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme prior to the application process opening for the third grant to allow people represented by #ExcludedUK to access that scheme.

Jesse Norman: The practical issues that prevented the Government from being able to include company owner-managers in the original Self-Employment Income Support Scheme, namely the inability of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to verify the source of their dividend income without introducing unacceptable levels of fraud risk, still remain. Similarly, the practical issues that prevented the Government from being able to include the newly self-employed in 2019-20 in the original SEISS, namely that HMRC will not have access to their self-assessment returns in order to verify their eligibility, still remain. The Government has tried to target the SEISS at those who most need it through a maximum £50,000 threshold for average trading profits, and the requirement to earn 50 per cent or more of income from self-employment. As previously announced, new eligibility criteria have been introduced for the third SEISS grant in order to ensure that it will only be available to self-employed traders who are facing reduced demand or those who are temporarily unable to trade due to COVID-19. The Government has acknowledged that it has not been possible to support everyone as they might want. Those ineligible for the SEISS may still be eligible for other elements of the package of financial support available, including tax deferrals, rental support, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: Public Sector

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether public sector workers who are clinically extremely vulnerable, and who cannot work from home, are eligible to be furloughed under the extended Job Retention Scheme.

Jesse Norman: Where employers receive public funding for staff costs, and that funding is continuing, the Government expects employers to use that money to continue to pay staff in the usual fashion, and correspondingly not to furlough them through the CJRS. In a small number of cases, for example where organisations are not primarily funded by the Government and whose staff cannot be redeployed to assist with the coronavirus response, the extended CJRS may be appropriate for some staff. BEIS Safer Workplaces guidance advises that workers who can work effectively from home should do so over the winter. Specific to clinically extremely vulnerable workers, the guidance also outlines steps employers can take to suit their and their employees’ unique circumstances, including changing roles or adjusting work patterns. Employers can be furloughed under the CJRS when they are unable to work because they are shielding in line with public health guidance. Furthermore, the Government has ensured that employees who were on an employer’s PAYE payroll before 31 October 2020 can be claimed for under the CJRS extension. Therefore, those who started work after the initial CJRS began and are required to shield will be supported. In cases where their employer chooses not to furlough them under the CJRS and does not have other suitable policies in place, Statutory Sick Pay is available as a safety net.

Hospitality Industry: VAT

Judith Cummins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions on extending the reduction in VAT for the hospitality sector until March 2021 to hair, beauty, spa and wellness services.

Jesse Norman: The temporary reduced rate of VAT was introduced on 15 July to support the cash flow and viability of over 150,000 businesses and protect 2.4 million jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors, and will run until 31 March 2021. This relief comes at a significant cost to the Exchequer, and there are currently no plans to extend the scope to include other sectors. The Government has announced a significant support package to help businesses through the winter months, which includes an extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, an extension of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grant, and an extension of the application window for the government-backed loan schemes.

Shipping: Tax Allowances

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the annual total of the Seafarers Earnings Deduction was in each year from 2006-07 to 2019-20.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many qualifying claimants there were for seafarers earnings deduction in each year between 2006-07 and 2019-20.

Jesse Norman: The estimated number of qualifying claimants and cost to the Exchequer of Seafarers Earnings Deduction (SED) from 2008-09 to 2019-20 is presented in the table below. YearEstimated cost to the Exchequer of Seafarers Earnings Deduction (£m)Estimated number of qualifying claimants for Seafarers Earnings Deduction2008-0916017,0002009-1017017,0002010-1118017,0002011-1219519,0002012-1325020,0002013-1428021,0002014-1528023,0002015-1625022,0002016-1724021,0002017-1824022,0002018-1926022,0002019-2028022,000 Comparable figures prior to 2008-09 are not held. The estimated cost to the Exchequer of SED from 2012-13 to 2019-20 and the estimated number of qualifying claimants for SED from 2017-18 to 2018-19 was published in HMRC’s non-structural tax relief statistics, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/main-tax-expenditures-and-structural-reliefs..

Employment: Females

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential long-term effects of the covid-19 outbreak on women’s (a) pay and (b) employment.

Kemi Badenoch: The Government continues to monitor the impact of Covid-19 on women and men in the labour market; however, the economic evidence of the impact of the pandemic is still emerging and inconclusive. The Government has provided unprecedented support to protect and support jobs. For claims received up to 31st July 2020, 4.5 million jobs held by women had been supported by the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme since its introduction. The latest data shows that at the end of August, 1.6 million jobs with a female employee were still being supported by the furlough scheme across the UK. In the Plan for Jobs, the Government announced a wide-ranging package of measures to support jobs which will help women across the country, including almost £900m to double the number of work coaches to 27,000 this year and the £2bn Kickstart Scheme, which will create hundreds of thousands of new, fully subsidised jobs for young people (16-24) at risk of long-term unemployment across Great Britain.  Since the Covid-19 outbreak, we know women have seen a smaller fall in employment than men, both in relative and absolute terms. Compared to the quarter ending February 2020, there were 200,000 fewer women employed in the quarter ending September 2020, whereas there were 370,000 fewer men employed. This implies a fall of 1.3% in female employment and 2.1% fall in male employment. The gender employment rate gap is at its lowest level on record at 6.6 percentage points. Between April 2019 and April 2020, women’s median weekly pay increased by 2.5%, while men’s median weekly pay fell by 0.7%. The gender pay gap is also at its lowest level since records began, falling to a record low of 15.5%, from 17.4% last year.

Equal Pay: Coronavirus

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that progress in closing the gender pay gap is not adversely affected by the covid-19 outbreak.

Kemi Badenoch: While evidence of the economic impact of the pandemic is still emerging, we know between April 2019 and April 2020, women’s median weekly pay increased by 2.5%, whereas men’s median weekly pay fell by 0.7%. The UK's gender pay gap has fallen to a record low of 15.5% from 17.4%, while the gender employment rate gap is at its lowest level on record at 6.6 percentage points. The Government is committed to levelling up and making the UK a country where equality of opportunity exists for everyone. Coronavirus is the biggest challenge the UK has faced in decades and the government has taken unprecedented steps to protect and support jobs. The Government has protected 4.5 million jobs held by women through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. The government also introduced one of the most generous self-employed coronavirus support schemes in the world. Around 760,000 claims have been received from self-employed women for the first Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant and figures so far show 660,000 claims have been received by women for the second grant. Some sector-specific support has helped to support women’s employment by helping some of the hardest hit sectors in which women are overrepresented. For example, the government extended the temporary reduced rate of VAT (5%) to goods and services supplied by the tourism and hospitality sectors from 12 January to 31 March 2021. These are sectors that disproportionately employ women.

Business: Coronavirus

Tom Tugendhat: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what additional support, beyond the Discretionary Grant Fund scheme, he will provide to businesses ineligible for Government grants or loans, during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown.

Kemi Badenoch: During this difficult time for the country, the Government is acutely aware of the extreme disruption to people’s lives, jobs, and businesses due to the necessary actions to tackle COVID-19. The Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund closed to new applicants on 28 August. However, the Government recognises that businesses which are legally required to close due to national or local restrictions, including those which were introduced on 5 November, will need additional support. This is why we have announced the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) scheme, which will provide businesses in England which are legally required to close with grants of up to £3,000 per four-week closure period, depending on their rateable value. Through the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Open), local authorities which were subject to restrictions on socialising between 1 August and 5 November will also receive additional funding so that they can make grants of up to £2,100 per month of closures to hospitality, leisure and accommodation businesses which were able to remain open but which experienced a severe reduction in demand due to restrictions on socialising. On top of this, we have provided Local Authorities with a further £1.1 billion across England via the Additional Restrictions Grant. Local Authorities have discretion on how to use this funding to support businesses in their areas, but we encourage them to set up discretionary grant schemes to support businesses which can remain open, but which are nonetheless severely affected by the enhanced COVID-19 restrictions. Businesses across the country should also be able to benefit from others measures in the Government’s unprecedented package of support for businesses, including: The extension to 31 March of the CJRS, through which employees will receive up to 80% of their usual salary for hours not worked up to a maximum of £2,500 per month;Support for the self-employed via the SEISS, which will provide the self-employed with grants worth up to 80% of trading profits, covering November to January;The extension of the application deadline for loan guarantee schemes to the end of January 2021;An adjustment to the Bounce Back Loan Scheme rules to allow those businesses who have borrowed less than their maximum (i.e. less than 25% of their turnover) to top-up their existing loan; andHelp for businesses in repaying loans from Government-backed schemes through the Pay as you Grow scheme and allowing lenders to extend the terms of CBILS loans to up to 10 years.

TUI UK: Coronavirus

Jamie Stone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with TUI on that company's position on furlough for its permanent part year employees.

Kemi Badenoch: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Ministers and officials from the Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy are in regular contact with airlines, airports and unions, and similarly the Department for Digital, Media, Sport and Culture are working with employers, delivery partners and industry groups to understand the impact that Covid-19 is having on sectors like tourism and its workers. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel As we look forward, we welcome views from representatives and the Treasury will continue to monitor the impact of government support with regard to public services, businesses, individuals, and sectors, and to consider how best to support the economic recovery.

Plastics: Taxation

Ian Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the plastic packaging tax on businesses that produce 100 per cent compostable and bio-based packaging; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the £200 per tonne plastic packaging tax will apply to  100 per cent compostable packaging; and if he will make a statement.

Kemi Badenoch: On 12 November, the Government published the summary of responses to the recent consultation on the detailed design and implementation of the Plastic Packaging Tax. This included confirming the consultation proposal to include compostable and bio-based plastic packaging in the scope of the tax. As set out in the consultation, all packaging, including that which is 100% compostable, will be in scope of the tax if plastic is the predominant material by weight. As set out in the summary of responses to the consultation, the Government believes that alternative plastics can play a role in addressing plastic waste if used in the right circumstances. However, further evidence is needed on the impact of widespread adoption of such materials, and it is right to include them within scope of the tax at this stage. As part of the Bioeconomy Strategy, the Government is working with industry and the research community to better understand the impact of using bio-based, biodegradable and compostable plastics. Following the conclusion of the Bioeconomy Strategy, the Government will consider further the treatment of these plastics in relation to Plastic Packaging Tax. The Government carefully considered the impacts of the tax when making the decisions set out in the summary of responses to the consultation. More information on impacts is available in the Tax Information and Impact Note - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-a-new-plastic-packaging-tax/introduction-of-a-new-plastic-packaging-tax

Social Services: Coronavirus

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the adequacy of financial support for people working in social care during the covid-19 outbreak.

Steve Barclay: The Chancellor and the Health Secretary have discussed a wide range of health-related issues during the COVID-19 pandemic.In September, we announced the extension of the Infection Control Fund until March 2021, bringing the total funding for infection control measures in social care to over £1.1 billion. This funding can be used to financially support staff in line with the grant conditions. This includes paying staff who are isolating, in line with government guidance, their normal wages while doing so.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans in the forthcoming spending review to announce Additional High Needs funding to March 2024, with that funding allocated to councils based on an assessment of local need rather than historical spend.

Steve Barclay: The upcoming Spending Review is a one-year exercise that will set departmental resource and capital budgets for 2021-22. My RHF the Chancellor will set out the government’s spending plans that will focus on tackling Covid-19. The government is committed to the multi-year resource settlement for schools that was announced at Spending Round 2019. This has provided for a £780 million boost to high needs funding this year, and an additional £730 million next year, which will bring the total high needs budget to over £8 billion in 2021-22.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Food Supply

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make it his policy to ensure that Government policy on food (a) security and (b) supply complies with Article 11 of the UN International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

James Duddridge: In relation to international food security, the UK Government has a significant portfolio of agriculture projects in poorer countries (£322 million spend in 2018) focused on investing in commercial agriculture and livelihoods and on improving food security and sustainable food supply.We are adapting our international programmes in agriculture, nutrition and food security in response to the current situation, made worse by COVID-19, to help reduce the scale of a major food security emergency; build resilience; and prepare for sustainable recovery. The UK helped achieve agreement at the G20 this year on actions to the free flow of agricultural products and other essential goods and services in response to COVID-19.

Harry Dunn

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he held discussions with President-elect of the US Joe Biden on the death of Harry Dunn on 10 November 2020.

Wendy Morton: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Departmental Responsibilities

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the planned timescale is for reaching a decision on whether his Department will be a (a) reserved or (b) unreserved department.

James Duddridge: In line with the Civil Service Nationality Rules, the FCDO will be a reserved department, meaning all roles in the department are open to UK nationals only. The Foreign Secretary has agreed that all existing non-UK national staff can continue to work for the FCDO and will be able to progress in their careers. All future recruitment into the department will be for UK-nationals only.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Brendan Clarke-Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made for the implications of his policies of reports that Iran has installed advanced centrifuges at an underground facility.

James Cleverly: We remain deeply concerned by Iran's non-compliance with its Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) commitments, particularly its research and development on advanced centrifuges and its growing stockpile of Low Enriched Uranium. We urge Iran to reverse all measures inconsistent with the nuclear agreement. The Foreign Secretary, along with his French and German counterparts, has called for a ministerial Joint Commission of the JCPoA at which we hope to discuss Iran's urgent return to compliance.

Saudi Arabia: Foreign Relations

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to the Saudi Arabian Government on (a) releasing prisoners of conscience in that country, (b) committing to undertake an in-depth assessment of the circumstances of the death of Jamal Khashoggi and (c) ending that country's role in the conflict in Yemen.

James Cleverly: Our close relationship with Saudi Arabia allows us to raise our concerns about human rights, including on political detainees, in private and in public. The UK signed a statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 15 September. It noted our human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia, regretted the continued detention of at least five women's human rights defenders, arrested in 2018, and called for the release of all political detainees. I most recently raised our concerns about the cases of the women's rights defenders with the Saudi Ambassador to the UK on 16 November. We continue to raise concerns and are monitoring the situation closely.The UK has always been clear that Khashoggi's murder was a terrible crime, and that Saudi Arabia must ensure such an atrocity can never happen again. The Foreign Secretary raised the issue during his visit to Riyadh in March this year. The UK has sanctioned twenty Saudi nationals involved in the murder under the global human rights regime.The UK is deeply concerned by the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Yemen. We fully support the peace process led by the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths, and urge the parties to engage constructively with him. A political settlement is the only way to bring long-term stability to Yemen and to address the worsening humanitarian crisis.

Question

Brendan Clarke-Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the permanent members of the UN Security Council on the report of 11 November 2020 from the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran's stockpile of uranium is over 12 times the limit agreed in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

James Cleverly: The International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors (which includes all permanent members of the UN Security Council) discussed this report at the quarterly Board of Governors meeting that took place this week (16-20 November). The UK Government remains deeply concerned by Iran's growing uranium stockpile, and Iran's continued nuclear non-compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). This is why the UK with France and Germany, triggered the deal's Dispute Resolution Mechanism. The Foreign Secretary, along with his French and German counterparts, has called for a ministerial Joint Commission of the JCPoA at which we hope to discuss Iran's urgent return to compliance.

Saudi Arabia: Detainees

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 12 November 2020 to Question 111563, if he will raise the detention and treatment of all political detainees in Saudi Arabia at the G20 Summit and press for their immediate release.

James Cleverly: I raised a number of Human Rights issues, ahead of the G20, with the Saudi Ambassador to the UK on 16 November. Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office human rights priority country.

Iran: Terrorism

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has taken steps to condemn the Government of Iran for reportedly plotting to bomb an Iranian opposition rally attended by British citizens in Paris in 2018.

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in Iran on allegations that country intended to bomb an Iranian opposition party rally in Paris in 2018.

James Cleverly: We are aware of the ongoing trial of four Iranians in Belgium in relation to the 2018 plot against a conference in Paris. We are deeply concerned by reports that an Iranian diplomat is one of those standing trial in connection with the incident. While the legal process is ongoing, however, it would be inappropriate to comment further and we have not made specific representations to the Iranian Government. The UK strongly condemns the targeting of civilians and welcomes steps taken to hold those responsible to account. We continue to work closely with our European partners on security and counter-terrorism issues. We are not aware at this stage of a link to the UK.

Overseas Aid

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2020 to Question 106362 on Overseas Aid, which Government departments applied for the 16 projects covered by Overseas Security and Justice Assessments in financial year 2019-20; and how many projects each of those Government departments so applied for.

James Cleverly: We do not disclose information related to individual Integrated Activity Fund projects to maintain the confidence and confidentiality of our Gulf partners.

Overseas Aid

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2020 to Question 102832 on Overseas Aid, which Government departments applied for those 13 projects in financial year 2018-19 that were covered by an Overseas Security and Justice Assessment; and how many of those projects each of those Government departments applied for.

James Cleverly: We do not disclose information related to individual Integrated Activity Fund projects to maintain the confidence and confidentiality of our Gulf partners.

Loujain al-Hathloul

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the release on medical and compassionate grounds of Loujain al-Hathloul.

James Cleverly: Our close relationship with Saudi Arabia allows us to raise our concerns about human rights, including on political detainees, in private and in public. We have expressed significant concerns about reports of continuing arrests and arbitrary detentions in Saudi Arabia. Our Ministers, Ambassadors and Embassy in Riyadh have raised concern over the continued detention of Women's Rights Defenders, including Loujain al-Hathloul, at senior levels with the Saudi authorities. We have consistently pressed for due process, raised concerns about the use of solitary confinement, lack of family contact and allegations of torture. I most recently raised the women's rights defenders' cases with the Saudi Ambassador to the UK on 16 November. We continue to raise concerns and are monitoring the situation closely.The UK signed a statement at the UN Human Rights Council on 15 September. It noted our human rights concerns in Saudi Arabia, regretted the continued detention of Women's Human Rights defenders and called for the release of all political detainees.

Overseas Aid

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2020 to Question 106363 on Overseas Aid and pursuant to his oral contribution of 22 October 2020, column 492WH that his Department listens to concerns raised by colleagues from both sides of the House about the need for greater transparency on the Integrated Activity Fund and Gulf Strategy Fund, if he will publish a list of the titles of the 44 projects delivered by the Integrated Activity Fund in 2018-19.

James Cleverly: As stated on 22 October, we will publish a programme summary covering activities funded by the Gulf Strategy Fund in 2020/21. We do not disclose information related to individual Integrated Activity Fund projects to maintain the confidence and confidentiality of implementers and our Gulf partners.

Overseas Aid: Gulf States

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2020 to Question 106364 on Overseas Aid, how many projects for each of the financial years (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20 his Department applied for under the Integrated Activity Fund; what the titles of those projects were; how many of those projects were approved; and how many of those projects were subjected to Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments.

James Cleverly: We do not disclose information related to individual Integrated Activity Fund projects to maintain the confidence and confidentiality of our Gulf partners.

Race in the Workplace Review

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to publish the MacGregor Review of consular cases.

Nigel Adams: As part of our ongoing commitment to improving our consular services, Dame Judith Macgregor conducted a review of how we handle complex consular cases last year. I wrote to the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this week to let him know that a copy of Dame Judith's review has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses of Parliament.

Developing Countries: Water

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that  the provision of (a) water, (b) sanitation and (c) hygiene to developing countries are prioritised within its policies.

Wendy Morton: The Government is taking steps to ensure that water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) plays a full role in contributing to the manifesto commitment to end preventable deaths. We will do this by supporting global leadership in the sector, strengthening sector systems, and ongoing COVID-19 response activities. Our work on WASH builds on existing progress - the UK is on track to help over 60 million people gain access to a water supply or basic sanitation by the end of 2020.

Denmark: Coronavirus

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how long the restrictions on travel and movement of goods out of Denmark will last.

Wendy Morton: Following the advice of the Chief Medical Officer, the travel ban introduced on 7 November 2020 on Denmark will be extended for a further 14 days from Saturday 14 November. Measures on freight introduced on 8 November 2020 will also run for an extra 14 days from the date they came into force.

Aleksandr Lukashenko

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of imposing further sanctions on (a) individuals and (b) companies that financially support (i) Aleksandr Lukashenko and (ii) his family members.

Wendy Morton: On 29 September, with Canada, the UK implemented sanctions on Alexander?Lukashenko, his son and six other members of the Belarusian senior leadership under the Global Human Rights sanctions regime for serious human rights violations linked to the presidential election in August.?? We welcomed the EU's decision to impose sanctions on other linked officials and will transfer the existing EU Belarus sanctions regime into an autonomous UK sanctions regime at the end of the Transition Period. We remain concerned by the situation in Belarus and will consider future designations carefully, guided by the evidence and objectives of the sanctions regime. It is not appropriate to speculate on future designations.

British Institute At Ankara: Seeds

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Turkish counterpart on the seizure of the British Archaeobotanical seed collection from the British Institute in Ankara; and if he will make a statement.

Wendy Morton: Our Ambassador in Ankara has raised our concerns about this issue with the relevant authorities in the Turkish Government. We will continue to encourage best practice when it comes to preserving the collection.

Peru: Politics and Government

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Peruvian Government on recent civil unrest in that country.

James Cleverly: Events have been moving very quickly in Peru following the removal of former President Vizcarra by Congress on 9 November. Our Embassy in Peru issued a statement on 13 November expressing concern over developments. On 15 November, following serious unrest and continued concerns over excessive use of force by the authorities and the deaths of two young men caught up in the protests, our Ambassador issued a further communication offering condolences to the families and calling for a formal investigation. Following a vote in Congress on 16 November, Francisco Sagasti was appointed as President on 17 November.

Overseas Aid: Audit

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has undertaken an assessment of the adequacy of audit arrangements for UK aid since his Department’s reorganisation; and if he will make a statement.

Wendy Morton: We have a wide range of measures in place to protect UK aid, to ensure that it reaches those for whom it is intended. Ensuring appropriate use of funds and achieving value for money has always been a core objective of all spend on Official Development Assistance. The Prime Minister was clear in his statement to the house on 16th June that delivering maximum value for the British taxpayer will continue to be a key objective of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.We are ensuring that controls are in place to provide at least the same level of assurance that was present in the departments prior to the merger regarding appropriate and effective use of UK taxpayers' funds and will continue to do so. Material value contracts will continue to be subject to an annual independent external audit throughout. My Internal Audit team also continue to provide assurance through a recalibrated, coordinated audit plan for the organisation as well as the usual National Audit Office annual audits of departmental accounts.

Ethiopia: Politics and Government

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the political situation in Ethiopia.

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the political situation in Ethiopia on the humanitarian situation in (a) Ethiopia, (b) Eritrea and (c) Sudan.

James Duddridge: We are concerned by the ongoing violence between federal and regional forces in the Tigray region and the risk it poses to civilians, and by reports of ethnically-motivated attacks. We are gravely concerned at Amnesty International's report of killings of civilians on 9 November and are investigating. The Foreign Secretary called Prime Minister Abiy on 10 November to raise our concerns and stress the urgent need to prioritise the protection of civilian lives, restore services (including banks and telecommunications) and enable humanitarian access. I also spoke to the Ethiopian Ambassador in London on 18 November to reiterate our concerns. The UK has called for immediate de-escalation in Tigray and is working closely with humanitarian agencies to ensure that aid reaches civilians affected by the fighting.We are reviewing the impact the conflict is having on the delivery of essential health, food and education services in the region and assessing the humanitarian need. Before the current conflict there were already more than one million highly vulnerable persons across Tigray including refugees, internally displaced persons and chronically food insecure communities. The UN predicts that an additional 800,000 people could be impacted by violence in Tigray, causing internal displacement within Ethiopia and across international borders, notably in Sudan where UNHCR reports more than 27,000 people have now crossed the border. We continue to monitor the situation and are appealing to the Government of Ethiopia and others to ensure humanitarian access to those in need in Tigray and affected areas.

Famagusta: Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Turkish counterpart condemning the recent visit of President Erdogan to Varosha.

James Cleverly: The UK continues to follow the situation in Varosha with concern. Prior to the visit of President Erdogan to the island, we made representations to Turkey through our Embassy in Ankara. The Foreign Secretary raised the issue of Varosha during his call with Turkish Cypriot leader Mr Ersin Tatar on 12 November and will discuss with the Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusolgu on 19 November.The UK continues to strongly support the numerous Security Council Resolutions covering the issue of Varosha, notably 550 (1984) and 789 (1992). The issue underlines the importance of reaching a comprehensive Cyprus Settlement as a matter of urgency.

Jamaica: Floods

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support people affected by flooding in Jamaica.

James Cleverly: The UK works with regional organisations and Governments of the Commonwealth Caribbean, including Jamaica to strengthen disaster preparedness, help with recovery and build resilience. This includes access to rapid funding for disaster surge response through the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency; the Caribbean Catastrophic Risk Insurance Facility, an insurance mechanism which makes pay-outs to Caribbean Governments impacted by a disaster; and the UK financed Global Risk Financing Facility which provided £14.85 million to help Jamaica strengthen financial resilience to tropical cyclones, excess rainfall, and earthquake disasters and will enable early action after disasters.While there has been no request to the UK Government for humanitarian support in Jamaica related to flooding, these funds are available for the Government of Jamaica to draw on if that is required.

Georgia: Consent to Medical Treatment

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he plans to hold with his US counterpart on allegations of forced hysterectomies on women in ICE detention facilities in the state of Georgia.

James Cleverly: Reports of non-voluntary hysterectomies being performed on immigrant women in ICE detention facilities are deeply worrying. We understand that members of Congress have already raised this issue with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). We will continue to monitor the situation including any formal response from DHS.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Directors

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Permanent Under-Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 10 November 2020 on having a smaller number of directors in the Department for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to ensure (a) development and (b) diplomatic expertise at that level.

James Duddridge: When the two organisations merged, some Director roles had significant overlap. We have addressed this as part of the new director structure that will have 42 positions overall. Our new director group will bring together the best of both legacy organisations and fully integrate development and foreign policy expertise. A director-level restructuring exercise is underway and will conclude in December.

Fossil Fuels: Finance

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government plans to announce an end to UK funding for fossil fuels overseas to include (a) Overseas Development Assistance and (b) UK Export Finance.

James Duddridge: Tackling climate change is a key priority for the UK. The Government is committed to working with countries across the world to unlock their renewable energy potential and support their transition away from fossil fuels to cleaner alternatives. We are continuing to work closely with departments and agencies across Government to align future UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) with the Paris Agreement.The Prime Minister announced in January that the Government would end direct ODA, investment, export credit and trade promotion support for thermal coal mining and coal power plants overseas. The Government continues to keep its approach to other fossil fuel investments and financing overseas under review.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Mass Media

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the oral Answer of the Secretary of State for Defence of 21 September 2020, Official Report, column 618, on his undertaking to place the terms of reference for the Tom Kelly independent review in the Library, when he plans to so place those terms of reference in the Library.

Mr Ben Wallace: A copy of the terms of reference has been placed in the Library of the House.Tom Kelly Independent Review Terms of Reference (pdf, 118.2KB)

Question

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the outcome of the 2020 US Presidential election on future co-operation with the US on (a) NATO and (b) other security matters.

Mr Ben Wallace: The United States remains our primary ally, with a strong Defence relationship developed over the last century's. We will continue to work with the United States on all of our shared interests, from tackling Covid-19 to countering terrorism, and collaborating closely through our Presidencies of COP26 and the G7 next year. Furthermore, the United States has been the backbone of the NATO Alliance for over 70 years and we look forward to working together on strengthening and driving forward the modernisation of the Alliance.

Integrated Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy Review

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to publish the Integrated Review.

Mr Ben Wallace: As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister stated to the House earlier today the full conclusions of the Integrated Review will be announced in the new year.

China: National Security

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the types of threats posed by China; and if he will make a statement.

James Heappey: The Department keeps the threats from, and opportunities for cooperation with, China under regular review. China's production of an increasingly wide array of advanced weapons systems and its willingness to challenge the international rules-based system to suit its interests present a growing challenge for the UK and its allies.

Question

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the quality of accommodation in (a) Stockport and (b) Liverpool for service personnel supporting mass covid-19 testing.

James Heappey: Service personnel undertaking testing are staying in a range of locations, including regular service accommodation and hotels. A large number of personnel involved in mass testing in Liverpool are accommodated at Pontins in Southport. In all cases, Defence ensures that the standard of accommodation is suitable for our people and that it adheres to relevant public health guidance.

Defence: Space Technology

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what date he plans to publish a defence space skills strategy.

Jeremy Quin: Defence is developing its Space Workforce requirements, identifying and developing the necessary skills to meet our ambitions in space. We are also closely working with the UK Space Agency in BEIS to understand how we best coordinate our output with our partners across Government.

Armed Forces: Coronavirus

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many covid-19 related Military Aid to Civilian Authority (MACA) requests have been closed since March 2020; and if he will list those closed requests.

James Heappey: As of 17 November 2020 the Ministry of Defence has tracked 190 Covid-19 related Military Aid to Civilian Authority (MACA) requests as having been closed since March 2020.For detail of the MACA requests that have been closed, I am attaching a document containing the requested information.MACA (pdf, 483.0KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Coronavirus

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of claimants who started a universal credit claim in March 2020 have been exempt from the benefit cap due to the 9-month grace period.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit: Coronavirus

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how may new universal credit claimants have been affected by the benefit cap since 23 March 2020.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to amend the length of the benefit cap grace period.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many welfare claimants have a 9-month benefit cap grace period due to end in December 2020.

Mims Davies: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Kickstart Scheme: Sole Traders

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether sole traders are eligible to apply for Kickstart funding via a Kickstart gateway.

Mims Davies: Sole traders can apply to the scheme through a Kickstart Gateway. Although if they are not registered with Companies House and/or do not have the systems to pay participants through PAYE, they will need to work with a Gateway which is able to put the participant on the Gateway’s PAYE system.

Jobcentres: Termination of Employment

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many full-time equivalent work coaches stopped working for her Department in each of the last 12 months.

Mims Davies: The number of full-time equivalent Work Coaches to have left the department in each of the last 12 months is below: - Nov-1912.86 Dec-1962.22 Jan-2047.36 Feb-2051.30 Mar-2062.44 Apr-2049.68 May-2045.63 Jun-2045.85 Jul-2050.18 Aug-2074.70 Sep-2079.26 Oct-2054.49  Total 635.96

Employment: Pregnancy

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to (a) ensure that employers undertake covid-19 risk assessments for pregnant employees and (b) act in accordance with the result of those assessments.

Mims Davies: (a) Employers are required to carry out risk assessments for all pregnant workers and protect them from harm. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website has guidance on managing the risks of COVID-19 and specific information on protecting vulnerable workers, which includes the health and safety responsibilities for pregnant workers.(b) Employers have a legal duty to act in accordance with the results of their risk assessment for pregnant workers. Where employers are not doing so, workers can contact the HSE to raise their concerns which will be followed up.

Industrial Health and Safety: Sharing Economy

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with Health and Safety Executive on responding to the finding by the High Court that the Government has not provided health and safety protections to gig economy and other precarious workers as required by EU health and safety directives; and if she will make a statement.

Mims Davies: The Government is considering the judgment and will respond according to the timetable set down by the High Court.

Attendance Allowance

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending eligibility for the attendance allowance to people in care homes who self-fund.

Guy Opperman: No such assessment is necessary  Attendance Allowance may already be payable in such circumstances where the conditions of entitlement are satisfied.

Pension Credit

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28 September 2020 to Question 93723, what comparative assessment she has made of the rate of successful applications for pension credit made through the (a) new online application service and (b) telephone service.

Guy Opperman: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost to the department.

Pension Credit

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28 September 2020 to Question 93723 on Pension Credit, what the comparative rate of successful applications was (a) during the course of the Pension Credit awareness raising campaign and (b) in 2019.

Guy Opperman: The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost to the department.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of providing women born in the 1950s early access to (a) state pensions and (b) pension credit in order to mitigate the financial effects of the covid-19 outbreak.

Guy Opperman: No assessment has been made.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support the Government is providing to women born in the 1950s not yet in receipt of (a) state pension or (b) pension credit to mitigate the financial effect of the covid-19 outbreak.

Guy Opperman: We have never spent more as a country on welfare support than we do now. The Government has strengthened the safety net to provide financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is committed to providing financial support for people at every stage of their life, including when they near or reach retirement.The welfare system will continue to provide support to those who are unable to work or who are on a low income but who are not eligible to pensioner benefits because of their age.We have invested in a significant new programme, the Plan for Jobs, to help people of all ages who may be made redundant find work and acquire the skills they need to return to work.

Statutory Sick Pay: Coronavirus

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing the level of Statutory Sick Pay for people who have (a) tested positive for covid-19 and (b) been notified to self-isolate via the Track and Trace App.

Justin Tomlinson: Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) provides a minimum level of income for employees when they are sick or incapable of work. SSP is payable from the first day of absence from work, rather than the fourth, where an individual is unable to work due to COVID19. It is paid by employers at £95.85 per week for up to 28 weeks in any one period of entitlement. Some employers may also decide to pay more, and for longer, through Occupational Sick Pay. SSP is just one part of our welfare safety net and our wider government offer to support people in times of need, and we have taken steps to strengthen that safety net. Where an individual’s income is reduced while off work sick and they require further financial support, for example where they are not eligible for SSP, they may be able to claim Universal Credit and new style Employment and Support Allowance, depending on their personal circumstances. The Government introduced a package of temporary welfare measures worth around £9.3 billion this year to help with the financial consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. This included the £20 weekly increase to the Universal Credit Standard Allowance rates as a temporary measure for the 20/21 tax year. We are continuing to work with the Treasury on the best ways to support those receiving benefits. To help support people in Northern Ireland during the COVID-19 pandemic the Department for Communities has put in place additional support. Financial support may be available for short-term living expenses for those who have a positive Covid-19 diagnosis or are in self-isolation. A non-repayable Discretionary Support Self Isolation Grant may be available for those who are on a low income and are experiencing financial difficulties as a result of being told to self-isolate. BackgroundTo help support people during the COVID-19 pandemic the Department for Communities has put in place additional support. This includes:a non-repayable Discretionary Support self-isolation grant payment to assist with short term living expenses where a person, or any member of their immediate family, is diagnosed with COVID-19 or is advised to self-isolate in accordance with guidance published by the Regional Agency for Public Health and Social Well-being andextending Discretionary Support to full-time students suffering financial hardship as a direct result of COVID-19

Department for Work and Pensions: Staff

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on her Department's staffing levels.

Guy Opperman: The Department is continually assessing the services being offered to customers and we continue to keep staff numbers under review as part of our response to the impact of COVID-19 on the labour market. We have recruited and continue to recruit significant numbers of new staff to meet the demand required.

Support for Mortgage Interest: Coronavirus

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her Department's policy to reverse the changes made to Support for Mortgage Interest due to the covid-19 outbreak.

Guy Opperman: The Department has no plans to change the Support for Mortgage Interest scheme from a loan. The support provided is at the same rate as when SMI was paid as a benefit and therefore the scheme offers the same level of protection against repossession. Reversing the changes would not provide any additional assistance to home owners during the current pandemic.

Universal Credit: Complaints

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the time taken to process a universal credit complaint.

Guy Opperman: Complaints received about the Universal Credit are handled in line with the overall Departmental complaints process published on Gov.uk. We aim to contact customers within 15 working days to clear the complaint or agree how to investigate it if it will take longer. As part of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to make changes to our complaints model to allow staff to be deployed to support processing claims and payments. From 9 July 2020, DWP now triage complaints giving priority to vulnerable customers who may be at risk, and those with benefit payment issues. We continue to look into all complaints as quickly as we can and, as part of the triage process used to determine lower priority, we write to those customers explaining there may be a delay in answering their complaint. We plan to review the effectiveness of the approach we have taken throughout the pandemic as part of an ongoing review into complaints handling.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

UK Relations With EU

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency plans he has with respect to the UK's future relationship with the EU in the event of food shortages in shops after the transition period.

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency plans he has with respect to the UK's future relationship with the EU in the event of an interruption in the supply of animal medicines after the transition period.

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency plans he has with respect to the UK's future relationship with the EU in the event of a UK-based companies experiencing losses through waste of perishable produce as a result of delays in importing and exporting after the transition period.

Victoria Prentis: The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain. Our thorough preparations for leaving the EU in 2019, alongside the lessons we have learned during the Covid-19 response, provide a robust foundation for end of Transition Period planning on food supply. We are working alongside industry and across Government, including with the Devolved Administrations, to plan for the end of this year. The Government has well established ways of working with the food industry, which is experienced in dealing with situations that can cause disruptions to supply.In terms of disruption at the border, the Border Operating Model (www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-border-operating-model) provides greater detail on how the border with the EU will work following the end of the Transition Period and the mechanisms which will seek to mitigate the impact of additional volumes of traffic. We will, for example, have a contingency measure to prioritise single loads of fresh seafood and day old chicks which met the bar of hitting two out of three of the following criteria: perishability, animal welfare considerations, and economic impact on a specific geographical area. Defra is working very closely with other Government departments and local stakeholders, such as the Kent Resilience Forum, to ensure that those wishing to trade with the EU can do so in the most efficient and effective way possible. Defra has made regulatory provisions for all veterinary medicines currently authorised for use in the UK via an EU approval system to continue to be authorised in the UK after the end of the transition period. These products can remain on the UK market for sale and supply in their existing packaging. Defra’s close working relationship with the veterinary pharmaceutical industry has enabled the industry to prepare for the end of the transition period, including taking mitigating actions in the event of disruption to supply. These activities include maximising stocks within the UK and diverting supply routes away from the short straits, where the greatest risk of interruption to supply is posed, that being from border disruption. In addition, veterinary medicines are classified as eligible for use of the Government Secured Freight Capacity. We have well-established mechanisms for dealing with supply issues as and when they arise. Enhanced early warning indicator systems are now in place which will provide early warnings of demand exceeding supply. The prescribing cascade legislation, which for availability and animal welfare reasons permits veterinary surgeons to import veterinary medicines from outside the UK, allows sourcing of products from countries beyond the EU. Almost all fresh produce (including fruit, vegetables and cut flowers) from the EU will not be subject to any plant heath import controls until April 2021. From April, fresh produce will require a phytosanitary certificate and some goods will also require pre-notification. Importantly, there will continue to be no physical checks required at the border until July 2021 for almost all produce. From July onwards physical checks will be undertaken at approved designated Border Control posts on a risk basis. Any required checks will be performed as quickly as possible to minimise delays to the passage of goods and maintain border flow. The phased approach will allow time for trade to adapt to the new import requirements for EU goods. GB plant health authorities are undertaking significant recruitment to increase the number of plant health inspectors in order to service the demand for import and export checks and certification. We will have sufficient resources to meet demand from 1 January 2021 and ensure minimal disruption to trade. GB plant health services are currently reviewing their operating hours to make sure that biosecurity standards will continue to be met and strengthened in ways that support trade and the smooth flow of goods while minimising new burdens on businesses.

Pet Travel Scheme: Dogs

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs were imported into Great Britain under the Pet Travel Scheme by (a) an individual owner, (b) a rehoming organisation based in the animal’s country of origin and (c) a rehoming organisation based in the UK, in each of the last six years.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs were imported into Great Britain under the Balai Directive by (a) an individual owner, (b) a rehoming organisation based in the animal’s country of origin and (c) a rehoming organisation based in the UK, in each of the last six years.

Victoria Prentis: The Animal and Plant Health Agency does not hold all of the information requested. Under the Pet Travel Scheme, carriers complete and submit spreadsheets every month detailing their throughput. This is categorised by species, document type, non-compliance data and whether or not it is an assistance animal. Carriers do not provide information regarding who the animal was imported by. Animals imported under the Balai Directive are imported on an Intra-Trade Animal Health Certificate issued via the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES). TRACES does not record whether the purpose of importation is for rehoming. While TRACES does identify the importer, it does not differentiate which importers are individual owners and which are rehoming organisations.

Pesticides: Urban Areas

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the draft National Action Plan on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides will include a commitment to phase out local authority use of pesticides in urban areas.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure that additional support for UK farmers to undertake integrated pest management will be included in National Action Plan.

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of (a) the EU biodiversity strategy and farm to fork strategy which commit to a 50 per cent reduction in both the amount and toxicity of pesticides by 2030 and (b) similar targets set by Denmark and France; and what steps he is taking to use the EU's implementation of its strategy to inform UK policy in this area.

Victoria Prentis: The revised National Action Plan for the Sustainable use of Pesticides (NAP) will be published for public consultation later this year and is applicable to all pesticide users including local authorities. The consultation document recognises action being taken by some local authorities to encourage phase out of pesticide usage and commits to encouraging an approach where non-essential use of pesticides is avoided. The NAP consultation puts Integrated Pest Management (IPM) at the heart of our approach to minimise the use of pesticides across all sectors and support the uptake of non-chemical alternatives. Steps are being taken to integrate support for IPM approaches within future agri-environment schemes, for example through Environmental Land Management. Through the NAP, we aim to minimise the risks and impacts of pesticides to human health and the environment, while ensuring pests and pesticide resistance are managed effectively. We are improving UK indicators of pesticide usage and toxicity in order to track progress against this aim. This work includes the development of a pesticide load indicator, building on the Danish model and tailoring it our domestic circumstances. We have been assessing the role of targets to support the ambitions of the NAP. The first step is to establish a robust baseline through improved indicators to ensure that goals are meaningful and drive the greatest benefit. We are aware of the difficulties experienced by France in meeting reduction targets they have set. Despite an ambitious reduction target, their overall pesticide usage has actually increased. The revision of the NAP provides an opportunity to assess the experiences of the EU and other countries, and set our domestic ambitions for the sustainable use of pesticides.

Arla Foods

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with Arla on the relocation of its production capacity to the UK in the event of tariffs being charged on dairy products by the UK and the EU.

Victoria Prentis: The Secretary of State met the Chief Executive of Arla on 9 October 2019, where the impact of a no deal exit on Arla was discussed.

Recycling

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of adopting a target of 70 per cent recycling by 2030.

Rebecca Pow: The Government has not recently assessed the potential merits of adopting a 70% recycling target for 2030. In 2019 we consulted on proposals to improve recycling for households and businesses and published an impact assessment alongside this which set out the benefits of achieving a 65% recycling rate by 2035. This impact assessment concluded that our proposals to ensure a consistent set of materials were collected for recycling from households and non-domestic premises together with other proposals to reform producer responsibility for recycling of packaging and to introduce a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers would achieve a 65% recycling rate by 2035. The Environment Bill sets out the powers and duties necessary to achieve 65% recycling rate by 2035. We will consult on more detailed provisions and an updated impact assessment in 2021.

Water Companies: Sanctions

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of sanctions available to the Environmental Agency for water and sewerage companies which they assess as having performance significantly below target in multiple Environmental Performance Assessment metrics.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency (EA) uses a range of enforcement options ranging from warning letters to prosecutions. The EA has brought 44 prosecutions against water companies in the last five years, securing fines of £34 million. £7.9 million has also been donated to environmental and wildlife trusts organisations in the same period through enforcement undertakings. The EA will continue to prosecute water companies which fail to uphold the law or cause serious environmental harm.

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the deadline is for derogation applications for 2021 for farms in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones.

Rebecca Pow: Due to pressures on government from the pandemic some decisions have had to be delayed. I am currently considering the appropriate way forward on the grassland derogation, but can guarantee that farmers will be given appropriate time and opportunity to make necessary arrangements. As soon as a decision has been made, farmers will be informed of the application window and deadline.

Salcey Forest

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make funding available to support the restoration of the Tree Tops Walk at Salcey Forest.

Rebecca Pow: This is an operational matter for Forestry England. Forestry England is making plans to restore the Tree Tops Walk at Salcey Forest once the financial impact of Covid-19 restrictions has been mitigated and subject to obtaining any necessary local planning consents.

Recycling

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of a capital investment programme to support reuse, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling of scrap steel, glass, paper and card, plastics and biowaste.

Rebecca Pow: The Government's Resources and Waste Strategy sets out our intention to move away from the linear 'make, take, use, throw' economic model to a more circular economy, keeping resources in use as long as possible so we extract maximum value from them.We are investing some £3 billion of grant funding in 24 Private Finance Initiative waste infrastructure projects. Along with disposal of residual waste facilities (such as energy from waste plants), these grants support infrastructure including material recovery, mechanical biological treatment and anaerobic digestion facilities, as well as implementation and expanding kerbside recycling services, which help facilitate improvements in recycling levels.In addition, £4.7 million of grant funding was announced on 12 June 2019 and made available through WRAP's Resource Action Fund to support new capital infrastructure projects that will help to recycle difficult plastic packaging and textile materials. A further £1 million of grant funding was also announced to provide capital support to increase recycling infrastructure for non-household municipal waste from businesses.Infrastructure is central to our economic strategy, and the government will shortly publish a National Infrastructure Strategy (NIS) setting out further details on its long-term ambitions, including decarbonisation and levelling up.The NIS will also formally respond to recommendations, including recommendations on waste, made by the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) in its National Infrastructure Assessment, which is based on detailed consideration of the UK's long-term infrastructure needs.The NIC's impartial, expert advice is central to the Government's infrastructure decision-making process. The NIC's work was the catalyst for many of the important spending decisions taken at previous fiscal events. The Government will build on this further when we publish the NIS.

Home Office

Bail

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what number and proportion of suspects in criminal cases have been bailed to return in each of the last five years.

Kit Malthouse: Since April 2017 the Home Office has collected information on the numbers of individuals released on pre-charge bail by police forces in England and Wales. These data are published as part of the annual ‘Police Powers and Procedures’ statistical release, available in Annex B here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/935355/police-powers-procedures-mar20-hosb3120.pdfData are not available on the proportion of suspects in criminal cases that have been bailed to return.The police retain the ability to use pre-charge bail where necessary and proportionate, including to protect witnesses and victims.

Fireworks: Antisocial Behaviour

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of trends in the level of anti-social behaviour in relation to the discharge of fireworks in (a) Sefton, (b) North West England, (c) England and Wales.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the Chief Constable of Lancashire's recommendation for the public sale of fireworks to be banned.

Kit Malthouse: There is a comprehensive regulatory framework already in place for fireworks that controls the sale, availability and use of fireworks, as well as setting a curfew and noise limit. The Government remains committed to promoting the safe and considerate use of fireworks through the effective legislative framework and through non-legislative measures – a position also recommended by the Petitions Committee in its 2019 inquiry into fireworks (HC103).The Government launched a public awareness campaign for the 2020 fireworks season. The focus of the campaign was to educate people on how to buy, use, store and dispose of fireworks safely; ensure retailers know and understand their responsibilities when selling fireworks; and, promote the considerate use of fireworks, so that people and animals can be better protected from any negative effects that may be caused by fireworks.The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to anti-social behaviour. The latest police recorded incident data released on 28 October showed a continued fall in anti-social behaviour (ASB) as of June 2020 (down 33% since 2012/13). A regional assessment of trends in the level of anti-social behaviour in relation to the discharge of fireworks was not included.

Immigration: Health Services

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will waive the Immigration Health Surcharge for British Nationals (Overseas) who apply for UK visas from January 2021.

Kevin Foster: The bespoke new Hong Kong British National (Overseas) Visa route recognises our historic and moral commitment to British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) citizens in Hong Kong, giving them the option to live in the UK if they decide that is an appropriate choice for them.It is reasonable to expect BN(O) citizens coming to the UK to show they can support themselves when they arrive. It is only right that they contribute towards our brilliant NHS through the Immigration Health Surcharge. The Immigration Health Surcharge offers excellent value to BN(O) citizens given the comprehensive access to the range of NHS services it provides.

Immigrants: Sleeping Rough

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has in place to support non-UK nationals who are experiencing rough sleeping to ensure that they do not face deportation when new rules come into force in December 2020.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure non-UK nationals who are experiencing rough sleeping will not face deportation.

Chris Philp: The new Immigration Rules make provision for the refusal or cancellation of permission to stay in the UK on the basis of rough sleeping. The new rule will apply on a discretionary basis to non-EEA citizens from 1 December 2020 and to newly arriving EEA citizens from 1 January 2021. The provision will be used sparingly and only where individuals have repeatedly refused support offers such as accommodation and are engaged in persistent anti-social behaviour.A person is expected to leave the UK if their leave is cancelled or refused. If they do not choose to leave voluntarily we may enforce their removal. They will not be subject to deportation action which is reserved for foreign national offenders with serious and persistent criminality as well as for reasons of national security.

Asylum: Glasgow

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the review of asylum support and accommodation provided in Glasgow has been completed; and when she plans to publish the findings of that review.

Chris Philp: We are committed to improving accommodation and support services experienced by asylum seekers, as evidenced by the evaluation of the provisions in Glasgow during the pandemic and our commitment to act on the findings.The evaluation is nearing completion, and the sharing of the relevant actions will be considered once the evaluation has been concluded.

Asylum: Hotels and Military Bases

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers were in (a) full board hotels and (b) full board barracks in the UK on 30 October 2020; and how many hotels are being used for that purpose as of 16 November 2020.

Chris Philp: The current global pandemic has presented us with significant challenges when it comes to the provision of asylum accommodation, including sourcing sufficient suitable accommodation to meet demand.The use of hotels and wider government facilities are a short-term measure and we are working to move people to longer-term dispersal accommodation as soon as it becomes available.The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area, which includes those in hotel and wider government facilities. These statistics can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#asylum-support.The Home Office does not publish a breakdown of these statistics which disaggregates the type of accommodation being used to accommodate asylum seekers.

Asylum: Legal Aid Scheme

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2020 to Question 109252 on Asylum: Legal Aid Scheme, what guidance she has issued to Migrant Help on advising asylum seekers housed at the (a) Napier Barracks in Folkestone and (b) Pengally Training Camp in Pembrokeshire on where they can access legally aided immigration advice.

Chris Philp: The Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) service, operated by Migrant Help is a single integrated and national service for asylum seekers.The AIRE service will provide advice and guidance to service users on the asylum process, their rights and signposting different services.It will also provide asylum seekers with a single point of contact, independent from the accommodation providers and the Home Office, to report issues.AIRE are contracted to provide information on the availability of legal advice and representation and signposting of Service User’s to the Legal Aid Agency, where appropriate upon induction into temporary accommodation.We are working with Migrant Help to pilot additional measures for legal aid signposting in temporary accommodation, including Napier and Penally.

Churches: Theft and Vandalism

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with police forces on steps they are taking to protect churches from (a) theft and (b) vandalism during lockdown.

Kit Malthouse: Throughout the pandemic, the police have managed resource to be able to respond to new local pressures as well as maintaining their response levels to existing types of crime including those affecting religious properties. Forces will continue to work with local communities’ groups on prevention measures and opportunities to stop unnecessary crimes from happening.The Government is committed to cutting crime and is investing in prevention to ensure that every opportunity is taken to stop unnecessary crimes from happening. The Government is helping to protect churches from hate crime through the Places of Worship Protective Security Funding Scheme. The 2020-21 round launched on 16 June with an uplift to £3.2 million- double the amount awarded last year. Over the last four years we have awarded 183 grants worth approximately 3 million to places of worship across England and Wales - with 76 churches receiving funding.

Dangerous Dogs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps Police Forces are taking to protect the welfare of dogs seized under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 given the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the time taken for court cases to be heard and the extended periods of time in kennels.

Kit Malthouse: Every police force must have a good, robust strategy and policy for dealing with dangerous dogs. The policy must include identifying secure kennels that can be contracted by police should it be necessary for a dangerous dog to be seized prior to any prosecution. The welfare of any dog seized is also a factor the police need to consider, and they should note their duty to ensure the welfare of animals under their control (s9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006).Advice and Guidance for enforcers of the dangerous dog law can be found here- https://ukhomeoffice.sharepoint.com/:w:/r/sites/PROC1170/_layouts/15/guestaccess.aspx?e=IUMGpi&share=EWo-7Fafr4RDvYyYsznCEigBnzGLkpB3Vbm_QH8PTu710Q

Police Community Support Officers: West Midlands

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of PCSOs in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry in each year since 2010.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce by Police Force Area in England and Wales on a biannual basis in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin.Data are collected at Police Force Area level only, and lower levels of geography such as Coventry are not held by the Home Office.The latest available data on Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) numbers covers the situation as at 31 March 2020 each year since 2007. These can be found on both a full-time equivalent (FTE) and headcount basis in the Open Data Tables published alongside the 'Police Workforce, England and Wales' statistics, available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-open-data-tables

Entertainments: Licensing

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending the time limit on entertainment licences from 28 days to 56 days in 2021.

Kit Malthouse: A premises licence which gives permission for licensable activities defined as entertainment can allow those activities to take place on every day of the year. Temporary event notices (TENs) permit licensable activities to take place on unlicensed premises. TENs can also be given for licensed premises where the proposed event would not be permitted under the terms of the licence.The maximum total duration of the events authorised by TENs in relation to individual premises is 21 days in a calendar year. The TENs system is intended as a light touch process. In the light of this, it is right that the numbers and duration of temporary events in each year are limited as they are.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of a waking watch in tackling fire safety in high-rise residential buildings.

James Brokenshire: Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, it is for the Responsible Person to ensure appropriate fire safety measures are in place within their building. This can include, where relevant, ensuring that there is a waking watch in place, that this is tested and works. Local Fire and Rescue Services and other enforcers of the Fire Safety Order can take action where appropriate if the responsible person fails to comply with their duties under the order.The revised guidance simultaneous evacuation guidance produced by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) reflects best practice and can be located at https://www.nationalfirechiefs.org.uk/Simultaneous-evacuation-guidance.The guidance encourages greater use of more cost-effective measures such as alarm systems to replace or reduce dependency on waking watch wherever possible. This is further supported by the publication of the costs of waking watches on 16 October, which can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-programme-waking-watch-costs

Extradition

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to expand the application of the Extradition (Provisional Arrest) Act 2020 to EU member states after 21 December 2020; what the timescale is for expanding the application of that legislation; what step she is taking to ensure that UK authorities have the power to arrest based on Interpol Red Notices issued by EU member states after 31 December 2020.

James Brokenshire: The Extradition (Provisional Arrest) Act 2020 (‘The Act’) provides UK law enforcement agencies with the power of arrest on an international arrest alert (typically in the form of an Interpol Notice) which has been certified by the National Crime Agency. The Act was amended at Third Reading in the House of Commons on 8 September to add EU Member States to the Schedule of countries within scope of this power.The Act will be commenced at the end of the Transition Period and its provisions were drafted to allow commencement for the EU Member States only should it prove to be necessary and not if there is an agreement which provides for the continuation of a warrant-based system after 31 December.

Crime: Retail Trade

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effect on levels of incidence of crime of the density of shops selling alcohol.

Kit Malthouse: Research commissioned by Public Health England assessing the relationship between the density of alcohol-selling outlets, consumption and alcohol-related harm has shown mixed results. While there is some evidence of a positive relationship between the density of alcohol-selling outlets and levels of crime this is only one of many possible factors.Consideration of the possible impact on local levels of crime of a high density of shops selling alcohol is a matter for licensing authorities. These decisions are often based on a wide range of factors including local intelligence provided by the police on alcohol-related crime.A licensing authority may complete a cumulative impact assessment to help it to limit licences granted in areas where there is evidence to show that the number or density of licensed premises in the area may be contributing to problems that are undermining licensing objectives.

Police: West Midlands

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of police officers in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Coventry in each year since 2010.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the size of the police workforce by Police Force Area in England and Wales on a biannual basis in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin.Data are collected at Police Force Area level only, and lower levels of geography such as Coventry are not held by the Home Office.The latest available data comparable to figures published on a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis covers the situation as at 31 March 2020 each year since 2007. These can be found on both an FTE and headcount basis in the Open Data Tables published alongside the 'Police Workforce, England and Wales' statistics, available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-open-data-tablesMore recent data covering the situation as at 30 September 2020 are available. However, these are collected on a headcount basis only and are not comparable to FTE figures published in Home Office statistical releases such as ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’.These more recent data are available in the supplementary tables accompanying the new ‘Police Officer Uplift” bulletin published by the Home Office in response to the UK government’s manifesto pledge to recruit an additional 20,000 police officers by March 2023, available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-officer-uplift-statistics

Drugs: Organised Crime

Sajid Javid: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle county lines drug trafficking in Worcestershire.

Kit Malthouse: This Government is determined to crack down on the county lines gangs who are exploiting our children and have a devastating impact on our communities.That is why we are investing £25m to boost efforts to tackle county lines. Our overall package launched in October last year includes: expanding the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre; increased disruption on the rail networks by the British Transport Police County Lines Taskforce; police intensification in three key exporting areas (including in the West Midlands region and Metropolitan and Merseyside Police areas); investment in new technology; and increased support for victims. Our funding has also supported operations across England and Wales, including with West Mercia Police.Our investment is already delivering results. Following the £5m we invested in 2019-2020, the Metropolitan Police, Merseyside, West Midlands and British Transport Police closed nearly 140 deal lines, seized cash and drugs with a total value of over £3 million, and made over 100 weapons seizures between November 2019 and March 2020.The most recent county lines ‘week of intensification’, which all police forces took part in and was co-ordinated by NCLCC, took place in September and resulted in over 1,000 arrests, drugs worth more than £1m seized and over 1,500 vulnerable individuals safeguarded.

Immigrants: Finance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish the transparency data on no recourse to public funds applications to change conditions of leave for quarter 3 of 2020.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 2 October to Question 85927, whether the data on no recourse to public funds applications to change conditions of leave can meaningfully be broken down further; and if she will make a statement.

Chris Philp: Data relating to ‘no recourse to public funds applications to change conditions of leave’ was published on 30 July.The Home Office is committed to updating this data quarterly, as it does for most other statistics relating to the immigration system, and we will release it as part of the next quarterly migration transparency data publication. Our statisticians keep this data under review and will look to provide additional breakdowns of the statistics where possible.

Youth Services

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase youth intervention services in (a) Slough and (b) England.

Kit Malthouse: It is vitally important that we prevent young people from being drawn into violent crime, exploitation and abuse. The Government recognises that high quality youth services can transform the lives of young people.The Government has invested £70m over two years (19/20 – 20/21) in establishing Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) in the 18 police force areas most affected by serious violence. VRUs bring together police, local government, health and education professionals, community leaders and other key partners to identify the drivers of serious violence and agree a multi-agency response to them. In addition to leading and coordinating local responses, VRUs are also delivering interventions to support those most at risk of involvement in serious violence. In year 1 of their operation, VRUs applied £23.1m to enable delivery of 175 different interventions, which reached over 100,000 young people.We have awarded Thames Valley PCC, which includes Slough, £2.32m to develop its multi-agency Violence Reduction Unit. We have also invested £3.2m in Thames Valley to ‘surge’ the operational police response to serious violent crimes, which is supporting vital work to identify and disrupt exploitative county lines operations.The Government has invested £200 million in a 10-year Youth Endowment (YEF) Fund to tackle the drivers behind serious youth violence. An extra £5million has been awarded to the YEF in 2020 to develop a National Centre of Excellence, which will share knowledge and expertise with those working with vulnerable children and young people at risk of involvement in serious youth violence.In July 2020, the YEF offered a total of £6.5m to 129 organisations across England and Wales as part of its COVID-19 grant round. The funding will help charities, social enterprises, local authorities and youth organisations to re-connect with young people at-risk of being drawn into violent crime and tackle any problems to emerge because of COVID-19.We are significantly increasing investment in specialist support for county lines victims this year. With investment of £860k the St Giles Trust will be delivering one-to-one support in London, Merseyside and the West Midlands (the three largest county lines exporting areas) which will aim to help over 200 vulnerable children and young people who are criminally exploited by county lines gangs to exit their involvement.The Home Office is also continuing to fund Missing People’s SafeCall service (c.£200k FY20/21). This specialist 24/7 helpline provides advice and support to children, young people and their parents/carers who are concerned about county lines, criminal exploitation and gangs.Through the £13.2m Trusted Relationships Fund we are identifying innovative approaches to tackling vulnerability among children and young people at risk of exploitation and abuse. The local authority-led projects, which went live in August 2018, provide support for children and young people identified as at high risk of child sexual exploitation and abuse, criminal exploitation and peer-on-peer abuse.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Members: Correspondence

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the letter from the hon. Member for Tottenham dated 14 October 2020, whether he plans to provide a date and time for a meeting on the Tottenham Hale Village.

Christopher Pincher: The Department has now received the letter from the Hon. member for Tottenham and a response will be sent shortly.

Council Housing: Evictions

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has issued guidance to local authorities on banning the eviction of people living in local authority housing during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown.

Christopher Pincher: On 16 November we changed the law in England to ensure bailiffs do not enforce evictions over this period of national restrictions or the Christmas period. This means that no eviction notices may be served until 11 January and, given the 14 day notice period required, no evictions are expected until 25 January at the earliest. The only exceptions to this are for the most serious cases, such as anti-social behaviour and perpetrators of domestic abuse in social housing.Guidance for landlords, including local authority landlords, is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-and-renting-guidance-for-landlords-tenants-and-local-authorities.Guidance for social landlords on understanding the possession action process is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/understanding-the-possession-action-process-guidance-for-landlords-and-tenants.We will aim to provide further guidance regarding the operation of the exemptions shortly.

Housing: Construction

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many homes have been built on land that was previously (a) green belt and (b) brownfield in each of the last five years.

Christopher Pincher: The department publishes statistics on the estimated percentages of new residential addresses created on Green Belt land, and those created on previously-developed land.The most recent available figures are for 2013-14 to 2017-18 and are given in: (a) Live Table P310 for Green Belt land; and (b) Live Table P300 for previously-developed land. These are available on the department’s website at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-land-use-change-statistics.

Council Housing: Sales

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to extend the time frame in which local authorities can spend the capital receipts from the sale of council and social housing during the covid-19 outbreak.

Christopher Pincher: To support local authority house building during this unprecedented time, we extended the deadline for local authorities to spend receipts arising from sales of their homes by an additional six months. This has enabled many of them to catch up with their spending plans and deliver replacement social housing.We are currently looking into requests for further extensions and will inform authorities of the outcome as soon as possible.

Question

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has issued to leaseholders who plan to take action against the developer of their private high-rise residential buildings, whose homes were already not fire safe when the developer sold them their homes.

Christopher Pincher: Matters of liability and any related action are specific to individual buildings, and the Department cannot comment or provide any specific guidance on these. However, the Government provided additional funding to the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) to provide independent, free, initial advice to leaseholders on building safety issues to ensure they are aware of their rights and are supported to understand the terms of their leases.

Question

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking in relation to developers that have sold flats in high-rise private residential buildings that do not meet fire safety standards.

Christopher Pincher: The Department has ongoing engagement with developers and building owners of private sector high-rise residential buildings with unsafe cladding. This has led to the remediation of over half of high-rise residential buildings with unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding being funded by the developer, freeholder or through warranty claims, without passing the costs onto leaseholders. Furthermore, the Private Sector ACM Remediation Fund and the Building Safety Fund for the remediation of buildings with unsafe non-ACM cladding both require applicants to demonstrate that they have taken all reasonable steps to recover the costs of replacing the unsafe cladding from those responsible through insurance claims, warranties or legal action.

Question

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made regarding the potential liability of developers that have sold flats in high-rise private residential buildings that do not meet fire safety standards.

Christopher Pincher: Matters of liability are specific to individual buildings, and the Department is not in a position to make individual assessments of the facts and circumstances surrounding each individual building.

Question

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many residential high-rise buildings that applied to the Building Safety Fund do not meet fire safety standards as a result of building design quality on the part of the building developer.

Christopher Pincher: The Building Safety Fund is aimed at making sure those living in buildings covered by the fund are safe by remediating unsafe non-Aluminium Composite Material cladding systems that do not meet fire safety standards. The Department is continuing to work with building owners to progress applications for the Building Safety Fund and published registration statistics on 30 September, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings#building-safety-fund-registration-statistics.

Buildings: Energy

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to review legislation regarding energy efficiency standards for doors to address the potential conflict between energy efficiency and fire safety.

Christopher Pincher: We are currently undertaking technical reviews of both Part B (Fire safety) and Part L (Conservation of fuel and power) of the Building Regulations and are in regular discussions with relevant industry bodies. We consult widely before making any changes to ensure that the standards we set are achievable.

Buildings: Energy

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what representations his Department has received on the compatibility of U-values andenergy ratings for doors and their fire safety rating.

Christopher Pincher: We are not aware of any representations that have been made on this specific issue. We are in regular discussions with relevant industry bodies and consult widely before making any changes to ensure that the standards we set are achievable.

Private Rented Housing: Coronavirus

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to (a) write off rent arrears built up by private tenants during the covid-19 outbreak and (b) establish a facility to protect landlords' minimum amount of rental income required for basic subsistence; and if he will make a statement.

Christopher Pincher: The Government has no plans to write off COVID-19 related rent arrears. During this period, tenants should continue to pay their rent and abide by all other terms of their tenancy agreement to the best of their ability. Where tenants are unable to pay their rent or if rent arrears have accrued, landlords and tenants should work together to agree a suitable repayment plan. We encourage landlords to offer support and understanding to tenants who may see their income fluctuate during this period.Our generous support package is supporting landlords by helping tenants to sustain tenancies and continue to pay their rent throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.This comprehensive package includes a range of support for businesses to pay staff salaries, including through the furlough scheme which has now been extended to March 2021. We have also strengthened the welfare safety-net with an over £9 billion boost to the welfare system, including an extra £1 billion to increase Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates so that they cover the lowest 30 per cent of market rents. For those renters who require additional support, there is an existing £180 million of Government funding for Discretionary Housing Payments made available this year, an increase of £40 million from last year, which is for councils to distribute to support renters with housing costs.Furthermore, where landlords do find themselves in coronavirus-related hardship, mortgage lenders have agreed to offer payment holidays of up to six months, with applications now open until 31 January 2021.

Housing: Standards

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has set a date for issuing Part L of the Building Regulations and the Future Homes Standard.

Christopher Pincher: We have committed to review the roadmap to the Future Homes Standard to ensure that implementation takes place to the shortest possible timeline. The Department has already consulted on a meaningful and achievable interim increase to the energy efficiency standards for new homes as a first step towards the Future Homes Standard. We will be publishing the Government response to this consultation as soon as possible, which will include a roadmap to the Future Homes Standard.

Housing: Construction

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) all new homes are built to high standards; (b) those standards do not negatively affect the health and wellbeing of their occupants; and whether he plans to review the regulatory framework of the built environment to promote and improve health and wellbeing in communities.

Christopher Pincher: It is a priority for this Government to build more high quality, environmentally friendly homes. We have committed to review the roadmap to the Future Homes Standard to ensure that implementation takes place to the shortest possible timeline. We have already consulted on a meaningful and achievable interim increase to the energy efficiency standards for new homes as a first step towards the Future Homes Standard. We will be publishing the Government response to this consultation as soon as possible, which will include a roadmap to the Future Homes Standard.The National Planning Policy Framework encourages developments that promote health and well-being, with a high standard of amenity for existing and future users. It says that planning policies should assess the need for different types of open space in each area, and then seek to accommodate it. In their report the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission made nature one of their priority themes and noted that green spaces should be integral to the urban fabric. MHCLG welcomes their recommendations and looks forward to responding to their report in due course.The Planning for the Future White Paper includes a proposal by Government to enable more and better green spaces in development. The consultation closed on 29 October 2020 and we are currently considering the responses received. The Government will publish a response in due course which will set out any decisions and associated proposed implementation.The supporting National Design Guide recognises that well-designed homes and buildings support the health and wellbeing of their users and all who experience them. The forthcoming government guidance on local Design Codes will set out more detailed parameters for key elements of successful design.

Housing: Standards

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to begin the consultation into improvements to Part L of the building regulations.

Christopher Pincher: We have committed to review the roadmap to the Future Homes Standard to ensure that implementation takes place to the shortest possible timeline. We have already consulted on a meaningful and achievable interim increase to the energy efficiency standards for new homes as a first step towards the Future Homes Standard. We will be publishing the Government response to this consultation as soon as possible, which will include a roadmap to the Future Homes Standard.

Housing: Standards

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to establish an inter-Departmental Government committee to tackle the spectrum of health issues that result from or are exacerbated by living in homes which are unhealthy.

Christopher Pincher: We recognise the increased importance of good quality, safe and decent homes and will continue to work to improve housing standards and support vulnerable people.We have made a great deal of progress in recent years to help improve housing standards:We have given local authorities strong powers to deal with dangerously damp conditions in the private rented sector (strengthened in the Housing and Planning Act 2016).We have introduced the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2019 - empowering social and private tenants to take their landlords to court, and are committed to improving the energy performance of all properties - because warm homes mean a reduction in damp.The Government has recently announced the new Green Homes Grants, through which landlords and home owners will be able to apply for vouchers of up to £5,000 to help fund energy works, with low income households eligible for up to £10,000 of full subsidy, meaning that hundreds of thousands of homes could be warmer and safer this winter.We have announced a comprehensive review of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System to ensure it properly reflects the physical and psychological harm caused by poor standards.The Decent Homes Standard requires homes to be free of serious hazards that could cause harm to health. In the social housing White Paper, we announced a review of the Standard to ensure it is the right ask of the social housing sector today.My Department has taken the lead on many aspects of this work. There is extensive cross-Government work on healthy homes and buildings – from planning and place-making to design, delivery and standards and support.? Officials across all policies areas regularly engage industry and local government when developing, delivering and reviewing policies.? MHCLG recognises that the responsibility for ensuring homes and buildings are safe and decent is a shared one - lying with product designers, developers, building owners and managers and local authorities as well as central Government and devolved administrations.

Local Government: Churches

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Church of England's statement on Local Authority Investment in Church Property, published March 2018, on his Department's implementation of the (a) Local Government Act 1894 and (b) Local Government Act 1972.

Luke Hall: The Government recognises and values the important work which churches carry out for their communities. We would encourage local authorities and churches to work together closely to consider the wishes and priorities of local people, as well as how to make the best use of public resources. It is important to ensure that any additional public funding given to local churches, and any consequences for council tax or precepts are considered carefully given the current financial pressures on local council taxpayers.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of a one year spending review on the proposed UK Shared Prosperity Fund; and what the timetable is for the Shared Prosperity Fund to open.

Luke Hall: The Government is committed to creating the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to succeed European structural funds and provide vital investment in local economies.?The fund will bind together the whole of the United Kingdom, tackling inequality and deprivation in each of our four nations.We will set out further details on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund following the Spending Review.

Church Commissioners

Archbishops: Administration of Justice

Conor McGinn: To ask the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the appeals process against consistory court decisions to the Provincial Court of the Archbishop.

Andrew Selous: It is possible to appeal the decision of a consistory court to the provincial court of the Archbishop, with the permission of the consistory court or of the appeal court, provided that the appeal does not relate to a question of doctrine, ritual or ceremonial. The Provincial Courts of Canterbury and York are known by the names ‘The Court of Arches’ and ‘The Chancery Court of York’.As in a temporal court the test for whether to grant permission to appeal is the same, i.e whether the appeal has a real prospect of success or there is some other compelling reason why the appeal should be heard.

Cemeteries: Irish Language

Conor McGinn: To ask the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what the Church of England’s policy is on the use of the Irish language (a) in its services and (b) as inscriptions or engravings on (i) headstones or (ii) other objects on Church property.

Andrew Selous: There are legal proceedings currently underway on this matter and due to the House of Commons Sub Judice Resolution the Church Commissioners are unable to provide an answer at this time.

Cemeteries: Languages

Conor McGinn: To ask the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what the Church of England’s policy is on non-English language inscriptions on headstones in its graveyards.

Andrew Selous: There are legal proceedings currently underway on this matter and due to the House of Commons Sub Judice Resolution the Church Commissioners are unable to provide an answer at this time.

Cabinet Office

Infrastructure

Sir Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what machinery of government is responsible for identifying what constitutes the UK's critical national infrastructure; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt: The Government defines the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure as the critical elements of infrastructure (facilities, systems, sites, property, information, people, networks and processes), the loss or compromise of which would result in major detrimental impact on the availability, delivery or integrity of essential services, leading to severe economic or social consequences or loss of life.The Government has designated 13 sectors as critical to the daily functioning of the UK. Each sector has a lead government department responsible for the resilience and security of their sectors and for designating the critical elements of infrastructure. The elements of the national infrastructure designated as critical are reviewed periodically. The Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) in the Cabinet Office has a coordination and assurance role across all sectors and oversees the Government's infrastructure security and resilience objectives.

UK Relations With EU

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, what contingency plans he has with respect to the UK's future relationship with the EU in the event of lorries queuing to cross the Channel after the transition period.

Penny Mordaunt: I refer the hon. Member to the oral statement made by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 23 September about the Reasonable Worst Case Scenario planning assumptions which were published to support these planning activities.

Cemeteries: Coronavirus

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing cemeteries to remain accessible during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown to provide connecting footpaths for recreational walking in (a) inner city areas where no alternative is available and (b) other areas.

Penny Mordaunt: On 5 November, the Government acted swiftly in accordance with growing evidence of virus prevalence to put in place new national COVID-19 restrictions in England. Under these new restrictions, crematoria and burial grounds remain open only for the fundamental purpose of carrying out a funeral or burial; a commemorative event to celebrate the life of someone who has died; or to pay respects to someone who has died. Limiting the use of crematoria and burial grounds allows the bereaved to mourn appropriately while minimising the spread of the virus, and many other outdoor public places remain open for exercise.From 2 December, we will return to a regional approach and any guidance, including the use of crematoria and burial grounds, will be updated depending on the Local COVID alert level of the area in which you live. For further information on COVID-19 restrictions, please see https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november. Please also refer to the Safer Public Places which provides advice on the safe use of outdoor public spaces.

Clothing: Retail Trade

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to designate the sale of baby clothes as essential retail during the covid-19 outbreak.

Penny Mordaunt: On 5 November, the Government acted swiftly in accordance with growing evidence of virus prevalence to put in place new national COVID-19 restrictions in England. Guidance on the closing of certain businesses and venues in England is available on the Government website. As stated in the guidance, businesses may continue offering delivery and click-and-collect services (where items are pre-ordered and collected without entering the premises).

Government Departments: Internet

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November to Question 106998 on Government Departments: Internet, whether the Cabinet Office seeks to achieve diversity of supply of Government (a) hosting and (b) cloud services.

Julia Lopez: The Cabinet Office seeks to ensure that government organisations choose the right technology to meet their diverse hosting and cloud technology needs. Departments are required to follow the Technology Code of Practice when choosing a cloud provider. Public sector organisations can use the Digital Marketplace frameworks to purchase cloud services, hosting technology and support from a wide range of suppliers including many small and medium enterprises.

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund and Prosperity Fund

Sarah Champion: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department plans to publish the 2019-20 annual reports for the (a) Conflict, Stability and Security Fund and (b) Prosperity Fund.

Penny Mordaunt: The Prosperity Fund Annual Report was published on 5 November 2020 and can be found online. The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) Annual Report was delayed as a result of COVID-19 but will be published in due course.

Coronavirus: Information

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to produce comprehensive covid-19 guidance in (a) easy read, (b) BSL videos and (c) other accessible formats.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that British Sign Language users without internet access are aware of covid-19 guidance.

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the compliance of covid-19 guidance with accessible information standards.

Penny Mordaunt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 107140 on 21 October 2020.It is vital public health information in this pandemic is accessible to all. Covid-19 guidance is provided in alternative formats including Easy Read, British Sign Language and Audio. Covid-19 press briefings with BSL are published on the 10 Downing Street and UK Government social media channels. The BBC News Channel has live signing for the briefings and has been made available across the UK via Freeview, cable, satellite and online.We have also used publicly held contact details to communicate with those who may need support, and our on the ground teams have directly spoken to local residents. The Government Digital Service has published detailed accessibility standards and guidelines to help departmental channel owners improve content. We will continue to review this and all Covid-19 communication through regular feedback sessions with disability charities.

Cabinet Office: Senior Civil Servants

Christian Matheson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his Answer of 3 November 2020 to Question 102103, what mechanism was used to invite expressions of interest for the vacant position of Cabinet Secretary.

Julia Lopez: I refer the hon. member to the answer given to PQ111564, I have nothing further to add.

Department for International Trade

Newcastle United Football Club: Saudi Arabia

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November to Question 113092, whether her Department supports Saudi Arabia's proposed takeover bid for Newcastle United.

Graham Stuart: Whilst we welcome all overseas investment, the takeover bid has always been a commercial matter for the parties concerned. It is not for the Government to comment on the buying and selling of football clubs.

Question

Ben Bradley: What progress she has made in securing a free trade agreement with the US.

Elizabeth Truss: The fifth UK-U.S. Free Trade Agreement negotiating round finished 30 October. I'm happy to report that substantial progress has been made, with almost all chapter areas are now in the advanced stages of talks, and a significant proportion of legal text has been agreed across multiple chapters.

Iron and Steel: UK Trade with EU

Jessica Morden: What steps her Department is taking to support UK steel exports to the EU after 31 December 2020.

Graham Stuart: My Department and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy worked closely with industry to engage with the European Commission to provide a tariff-free quota allocation for UK steel exports into the EU from 1 January 2021. The European Commission announced the creation of a UK allocation on 30 October. As a result, the UK steel industry will avoid an £80m tariff bill in the first half of next year, according to UK Steel estimates.

Question

Greg Smith: What progress has been made in discussions with her Israeli counterpart on an agreement for further trade cooperation with Israel beyond the trade continuity deal.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: Britain's trading relationship with Israel is already strong, totalling £5bn in 2019. As my Rt Hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said recently, we are now able to 'start scoping, probing for talks for a new higher level ambition trade agreement'. Next year's United Kingdom-Israel Trade and Partnership Joint Council - alongside our plans to host a United Kingdom-Israel Trade and Investment Conference - will drive forward these discussions to deliver significant benefits for British business.

Health Services: Protective Clothing

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to remove trade barriers to imports of medical scrubs.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To make sure that those working on the frontline can access vital equipment easily, the United Kingdom introduced a temporary zero tariff rate on products deemed critical in the fight against COVID-19 in March. This relief, which applies retrospectively to goods imported since 30th January 2020, waives the tariff and VAT on these products, including medical scrubs, personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies from non-EU countries. A list of goods that the relief can be claimed on can be found on GOV.UK in the ‘COVID-19 Commodity Codes List’.

Overseas Aid: Gulf States

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2020 to Question 106364 on Overseas Aid, how many projects for each of the financial years (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18, (c) 2018-19 and (d) 2019-20 her Department applied for under the Integrated Activity Fund; what the titles of those projects were; how many of those projects were approved; and how many of those projects were subjected to Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments.

Graham Stuart: I refer the Hon. Member for Glasgow East to the answer my Hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Trade gave to the Hon. Member for Dundee West on 9 November 2020, UIN: 111560. The Integrated Activity Fund provides funding in support of a range of programmes across the Gulf Region, including but not limited to, activities focusing on education, sport and culture, and healthcare. The Department for International Trade has been involved in several such projects, all of which are in line with international standards and aim to share the UK's expertise and experience. It is Government policy not to disclose specific information related to the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance assessments that accompany these bids due to their sensitive nature. This ensures that officials can be candid in their assessments and accurately consider the proposed assistance.

Arms Trade: Export Controls

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many times the Government has suspended or revoked an existing Arms Export licence in the last five years; what the grounds were for those actions; and which countries those licences were for.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: The Department for International Trade has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Exports: Japan

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the key reasons are for the reduction in the projected increases in the (a) volume and (b) percentage of UK exports under the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in the (a) policy paper on UK-Japan free trade agreement: the UK's strategic approach published on 13 May 2020 and (b) UK-Japan CEPA: final impact assessment published on 22 October 2020.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the UK-Japan CEPA: final impact assessment published on 22 October 2020, what the  reasons are for the difference in the projected increase in exports for (a) Japanese companies and (b) UK companies under the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the UK-Japan CEPA: final impact assessment published on 22 October 2020, what estimate she has made of the proportion of the projected £13.04bn in increased imports from Japan over the next 15 years that will replace or substitute for domestic sales by UK producers and service companies.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she has made an assessment of the potential effect on local economies in the UK of the potential substitution of Japanese imports for domestic production by UK producers and service companies under the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the UK-Japan CEPA: final impact assessment published on 22 October 2020, if she will make an estimate in (a) in monetary and (b) percentage terms of the potential contribution of additional exports of UK goods and services to Japan to the forecast increase in national GDP under the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement over the next 15 years.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if she will make a comparative assessment of the projected increases for (a) UK exports and GDP under the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. and (b) a scenario of rolling over the terms of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement in (i) monetary and (ii) percentage of growth terms.

Greg Hands: In response to the Rt Hon. Member’s questions, I refer her to my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade’s letter of 11 November 2020 on these issues. A copy has been deposited in the House library.

Audio-visual Industry: Japan

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to Article 8.4 of the UK-Japan Comprehensive Trade Agreement, what the process of Parliamentary scrutiny would be in the event that audio-visual services were added to the Article.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, for what reasons the potential impact of investor state dispute settlement mechanisms are not covered in UK-Japan CEPA: final impact assessment published on 22 October 2020.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans she has for (a) monitoring and (b) reviewing the environmental impact of the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement through periodic sustainability impact assessments.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the potential effect of the provisions of the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement on relating to dialogue with civil society organisations on the (a) frequency of joint dialogues and (b) public availability of submissions to those dialogues.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what plans she has for the practical operation of the tariff rate quota system for the goods listed in paragraphs 1 to 10 of Sub-Section 2 of Annex 2-A, Part 3, Section B of the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department has made a forecast of the proportion of available quotas that will be used by EU exports of the goods listed in paragraphs 1 to 10 of Sub-Section 2 of Annex 2-A, Part 3, Section B of the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in each of the next five years.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what comparative forecast her Department has made of the potential change in demand for UK exports to Japan of the goods listed in paragraphs 1 to 10 of Sub-Section 2 of Annex 2-A, Part 3, Section B of the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic partnership Agreement (a) over the next five years and (b) the under a scenario of continuing the terms of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement.

Greg Hands: In response to the Rt Hon. Member’s questions, I refer her to my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade’s letter of 11 November 2020 on these issues. A copy has been deposited in the House library.

Origin Marking: Japan

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate she has made of the timescale for the examination and opposition procedure for the UK’s proposed geographical indications under the provisions of the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what form the examination and opposition procedure for the UK’s proposed geographical indications will take under the provisions of the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the provisions of the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement on trade in food, drink and agricultural products were shared in draft form with the (a) Trade and Agriculture Commission and (b) the Trade Advisory Group covering Agri-Food.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether she plans to make the positions adopted on (a) net neutrality and (b) data localisation in the negotiations on the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement explicit objectives in future trade negotiations.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the operation of the provisions on free flows of data between the UK and Japan under UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement will be conditional on the UK’s negotiation of a corresponding data adequacy agreement with the EU before 1 January 2020.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what comparative assessment she has made of the differences between the provisions of the (a) UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and (b) EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement on public subsidies.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what substantive changes to the equivalent provisions in the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement has been made to the sectors reserved from further liberalisation have been made under Annexes I and II to Annex 8-B of the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the intended purpose is of Article 13.7.1 of the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on the operation of cumulation and rules of origin clauses in the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in the event that (a) these are not reflected in the UK-EU free trade agreement and (b) no such agreement is reached before the end of the transition period.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to Article 8.4 of the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of (a) inclusion and (b) exclusion of audio-visual services from that Agreement.

Greg Hands: In response to the Rt Hon. Member’s questions, I refer her to my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade’s letter of 11 November 2020 on these issues. A copy has been deposited in the House library.

Data Protection: Japan

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment she made the combined potential effects of Articles (a) 8.84 on Cross-border transfer of information by electronic means and (b) 8.80 on Personal information protection of the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement on the enforceability of UK data protection rights in respect of data that has left the UK.

Greg Hands: I refer the Hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central to the answer I gave today, UIN: 91964.

Data Protection: Japan

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the potential effect of the data flow provisions of the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement on (a) data adequacy discussions with EU and (b) data flow agreements with the (i) US and (ii) other countries.

Greg Hands: The UK is committed to maintaining high standards of protection for personal data, including when it is transferred across borders. Data provisions in Free Trade Agreements including the UK-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) are separate but complementary to the UK’s adequacy process and international data protection frameworks. Through CEPA, we have agreed to avoid unjustified restrictions on the free flow of data between the UK and Japan, and committed to maintaining a legal framework that provides for the protection of personal information. CEPA only addresses data flows between the UK and Japan and does not address onward transfers to other jurisdictions.

Riot Control Weapons: USA

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department has made a further assessment of the evidence of whether UK anti-riot equipment was used during the US Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: Officials in the Export Control Joint Unit have carried out two reassessments of whether the events in the United States – since George Floyd was killed on 25th May 2020 – give rise to a clear risk under Criterion 2a of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (the “Consolidated Criteria”) that crowd control equipment exported to the US might be used for internal repression. The first reassessment was completed in July and it was determined that no clear risk that such equipment might be used for internal repression existed. The second reassessment was completed in September 2020 and this concluded likewise. Given the broad list of end-users covered by the licences, the reassessments assumed that it was possible that crowd control equipment exported from the United Kingdom was and/or could be sold to and used by police forces involved in these or similar protests, whether or not this was the case; accordingly, this supersedes an assessment on whether such equipment was actually used. It is important not to lose sight of the fact that the US remains a beacon for freedom, opportunity and democracy. The US maintains the rule of law and has robust institutions. Further, there is democratic oversight, accountability and extensive public scrutiny, including by an active civil society and free press.

Foreign Investment in UK

Andrew Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what comparative assessment she has made of the level of inward investment into (a) the UK and (b) other European countries.

Graham Stuart: Latest ONS figures report that the UK’s inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) stock reached £1.5 trillion in 2018, a new record. According to UNCTAD, the UK held the 2nd highest FDI stock in the world in 2019, after the USA.The Financial Times FDI Report found that the UK hosted more greenfield FDI projects than any other European country in 2019, with 1,271 landed ahead of Germany at 702 and Spain with 658.

Department for International Trade: Third Sector

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2020 to Question 104706, how many civil society round table meetings have been held as at 13 November 2020; what different subjects were covered at each of those meetings; and how many different civil society organisations were represented at each of those meetings.

Greg Hands: The information requested has been published in line with the usual Transparency requirements and is available on gov.uk. Meetings held since July 2020 will be available on gov.uk upon publication.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Sports: Children

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps he has taken to improve the safeguarding of children and young people participating in sport.

Nigel Huddleston: We are completely committed to doing all we can to ensure children and young people can participate in sport in safe and secure environments. DCMS works closely with Sport England and the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit to review and strengthen safeguarding provision wherever necessary.All organisations in receipt of public funding from Sport England and UK Sport have been required to meet the standards set out in the Code for Sports Governance since April 2017. The Code contains specific obligations around safeguarding, including a requirement for national governing bodies to adhere to the Standards for Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Sport, which are issued by the Child Protection in Sport Unit. We have also taken steps to promote best practice in non-funded sports. The Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts was launched in March 2018 which sets consistent standards and provides parents with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about where to send their children for instruction.We welcome the Ministry of Justice’s commitment to change the law around ‘positions of trust’ in the Sexual Offences Act 2003. We will continue working closely with the Ministry of Justice to ensure that sports coaches are included as part of these legislative changes.

Platinum Jubilee 2022: Finance

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what funding he has made available to support Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Caroline Dinenage: The UK Government expects funding for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022 to come from a range of sources. Every effort will be made to ensure that any activities and programmes for the Jubilee do not impose an unnecessary burden on the taxpayer.

Social Media: Harassment

Fay Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce bullying and harassment on social media.

Caroline Dinenage: Bullying and harassment online is unacceptable. This government will establish in law a new ‘duty of care’ on companies towards their users - to ensure companies have robust systems and processes in place to keep their users safe. This duty of care will have an emphasis on child protection and will increase the protections for all users, including the most vulnerable, from online abuse, bullying and harassment. Under new proposals companies will need to remove illegal content expeditiously and put in place systems to minimise the risk of illegal content appearing on their services. For content that is legal but harmful, companies will need to make clear what content is acceptable on their services and enforce their terms and conditions consistently and transparently. In addition, companies will need to have effective systems for users to report harmful content.

Sports: Drugs

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of domestic sports men and women being tested for the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs during the covid-19 outbreak.

Nigel Huddleston: UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) releases its testing figures on a quarterly basis. UKAD’s latest quarterly report covering July to September 2020 shows 1,406 tests were conducted. This represents an increase from the 126 tests conducted in the period before, covering April to June 2020. The drop in testing during this period was due to UKAD’s decision in March 2020 to significantly reduce its testing programme due to the pause in competitive sport caused by Covid-19. UKAD has been working closely with medical experts to ensure new testing processes comply with the highest standards of safety and sport-specific considerations in light of Covid-19. UKAD has developed a protocol for its Doping Control Personnel to follow to ensure the safety of its testers and those being tested. This procedure is in line with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s guidance for resuming testing, and is fully outlined on UKAD’s website.

British Athletes Commission: Finance

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received on direct funding by his Department of the British Athletics Commission.

Nigel Huddleston: The issue of direct funding of the British Athletes Commission by DCMS has been raised with the department through correspondence. It was also one of the recommendations made by Baroness Grey-Thompson in her Duty of Care report (2017), commissioned by DCMS. Changing the source of funding for the BAC was not taken forward at the time, as the priority focus was to improve the resourcing of the organisation so that it could provide more effective support to athletes.In light of this, UK Sport announced in May 2018 that it was increasing its investment in the British Athletes Commission to £1 million over the rest of the Tokyo 2020 cycle, which allowed the British Athletes Commission to increase its capacity threefold. In the current Tokyo cycle to date, the British Athletes Commission has received £1.19m from UK Sport.My department will continue to work closely with the British Athletes Commission and UK Sport to keep the issue under review.

Slavery: Monuments

Mr Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to support the erection of a memorial to remember the victims of the Transatlantic slave trade and slavery.

Nigel Huddleston: It is not normal practice for central Government to fund new memorials and it has no current plans to establish a national memorial to the victims of the slave trade. Many organisations – public and private – are rightly able (subject to the relevant permissions) to freely propose, fund and deliver memorials marking a variety of incidents and historical moments in a way that they are best-placed to deem appropriate and sensitive.Many successful memorials are created by a wide-range of authorities and organisations, allowing each one to respond sensitively to the particular circumstances that it seeks to commemorate.Given the wide range of people and organisations interested in establishing memorials, it is as a general rule, for them to work with the relevant local planning authority to identify a suitable site and obtain the necessary planning permissions

Sports: Governing Bodies

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when Sport England plans to publish the findings of the joint review of code for sports governance.

Nigel Huddleston: Sport England and UK Sport began their joint review of the Code for Sports Governance in July 2020. Their aim is to publish the initial findings of the review in early 2021.

Tourism: Coventry

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of Government funding for tourism in Coventry in each of the last five years.

Nigel Huddleston: My Department regularly assesses economic trends in the tourism sector, including those relating to Government support for tourism in regions across England.Launched in 2016, the £45m Discover England Fund has supported the development of internationally focused tourism products in the West Midlands, including the ‘England’s Waterways’ project.We are also working with regional partners to maximise the tourism benefits of hosting the UK City of Culture in Coventry and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.The Government has invested over £15 million to support Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture, and my Department is working closely with Coventry City of Culture Trust and partners to continue to ensure Coventry’s success as host city.Between April and July, VisitEngland’s £1.3 million Destination Management Organisation Resilience Fund supported local tourism organisations in the West Midlands. The West Midlands Growth Company received £29,866 from the DMO Resilience Fund.We will continue to engage with regional stakeholders to assess how we can most effectively support tourism’s recovery from COVID-19.

Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with officials at UNESCO on the UK’s (a) participation in and (b) ratification of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Nigel Huddleston: The UK’s cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, brings benefits to communities and individuals in every part of the country. Government is committed to protecting important intangible heritage, including through grants made by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Arts Council and the Cultural Recovery Fund. Ministers in the Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport have not had recent discussions with UNESCO regarding the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, however we remain open to considering ratification when resource allows.

Culture Recovery Fund: Cheshire

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many applications for funding from the Culture Recovery Fund were made from the culture and heritage sector in (a) Cheshire West and Chester, (b) Halton and (c) Weaver Vale constituency, and how many of applications were successful.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding from the Culture Recovery Fund has been allocated to the culture and heritage sector in (a) Cheshire West and Chester, (b) Halton and (c) Weaver Vale since that fund was established.

Caroline Dinenage: The following table includes details of the number of applications received and how many were successful, as well as the total amount of funding requested and how much was allocated for each of the three areas requested. Note this only refers to heritage and arts recovery grants and was correct as of 11 November. Constituency / Local AuthorityNo applicationsNo awardsTotal applied forTotal awardedCheshire West and Chester (LA)1711£1,980,809£1,492,15Halton (constituency)22£392,660£392,660Weaver Vale (constituency)33£146,000£146,000

Sports: Coventry

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support sports facilities in Coventry during the covid-19 outbreak.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government has provided unprecedented support to businesses through tax reliefs, cash grants and employee wage support, which many sports clubs have benefited from. Sport England has also provided over £220 million to support the sport and physical activity sector. This includes £35m for a Community Emergency Fund (CEF) directly to support community sport clubs and exercise centres through this pandemic.Sport England has made awards totalling £10,348,040 since 2009 in Coventry consisting of both lottery and exchequer funding to support the provision of sport and physical activity. A further £130,831 has been awarded across Coventry local authority, via Sport England’s CEF, since April this year. This has mainly been for local sports clubs and community sport activity organisations.

BBC: Finance

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the BBC on holding a public consultation on (a) offering monthly license subscriptions and (b) other future funding proposals.

Mr John Whittingdale: It is already possible to pay for a TV licence in monthly instalments. More information is set out on the TV Licensing website: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-for-your-tv-licence/ways-to-pay.The government has no plans to offer a public consultation on TV licence payment plans at this time.On future funding proposals, the government has committed to maintain the licence fee funding model for the duration of this 11 year Charter period, until 2027.The Secretary of State has recently written to the BBC and S4C to begin the process of setting the licence fee for at least 5 years from April 2022.

Television Licences: Older People

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will hold discussions with the TV Licensing Authority on the (a) the time taken to process cheque payments from people over 75 and (b) issuing reminder letters to people who have already paid for their TV licence.

Mr John Whittingdale: The BBC and TV Licensing are responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee, not the government.The government is therefore not involved in how TV Licensing processes payments, including cheques, or how and when it issues reminder letters.However, the government expects TV Licensing to collect the licence fee in an efficient and proportionate manner, and to ensure particularly sensitive handling for those aged 75 and over who may be affected by the BBC’s changes to the over 75 concession.

Radio: Commercial Broadcasting

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with Arqiva on an additional relief package for small commercial radio broadcasters.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to provide additional support for transmission costs to small commercial radio broadcasters.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make it his policy to support transmission cost relief for small commercial radio broadcasters.

Mr John Whittingdale: The government fully recognises the vital role that small commercial radio stations have played during the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of the provision of national and local news and information, as well as community engagement and entertainment. We are acutely aware of the ongoing impact of the pandemic on commercial radio revenues, and we are continuing to work with all parts of the radio industry to explore ways to support the ongoing sustainability of stations.

Question

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress he has made on data protection arrangements with Japan; and when he plans to reach an adequacy decision on allowing digital trade to continue with Japan after the end of the transition period.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Free Trade Agreement with Japan on (a) data protection standards and (b) data flows for UK data.

Mr John Whittingdale: The UK–Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) is the UK’s first major trade deal as an independent trading nation.CEPA seeks to remove unjustified barriers to data flows to strengthen trade between our two countries. It requires both parties to maintain comprehensive legal frameworks that protect personal information.CEPA does not alter the UK’s existing data protection framework, enshrined in the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR. Under CEPA, the UK may adopt measures restricting data flows to achieve a legitimate public policy objective, including personal data protection and the ability to maintain an independent international data transfers regime. From the end of the transition period, the UK will preserve the effect of the EU's adequacy decision for Japan on a transitional basis, that will continue to provide robust protections for the international transfer of personal data.

Lord Alfred Douglas

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will release the original manuscript of the work of Lord Alfred Douglas entitled In Excelsis, written during his time in jail and held in the Public Records Office.

Mr John Whittingdale: The original text of ‘In Excelsis’ by Lord Alfred Douglas (file reference EXT 11/75) has been available to the general public for viewing under supervision at The National Archives since 27 November 1997.The National Archives’ reading room service is currently suspended, in line with the new national restrictions in England, although it continues to provide access to its collections and a range of services online.

Coronavirus Community Support Fund: Christchurch

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many organisations in Christchurch constituency have applied for funding through the Coronavirus Community Support Fund; and what criteria are used to assess those applications.

Mr John Whittingdale: The Government has made available an unprecedented £750 million package of support, specifically for charities, social enterprises and the voluntary sector. This will ensure charities and other civil society organisations, including those at risk of financial hardship, can continue their vital work during the Covid-19 outbreak.£200 million of this package is being administered and distributed by the National Lottery Community Fund (TNLCF) through the Coronavirus Community Support Fund which is mainly targeting smaller and local VCSE organisations. TNLCF received 7 total applications from Christchurch constituency for the Coronavirus Community Support Fund. 3 were successful, 3 were unsuccessful and 1 was withdrawn by the applicant. Each of the unsuccessful applicants were provided with the results of their application and the reason for being unsuccessful.Applications to the CCSF are assessed on the extent to which they meet the objectives of the Programme as set out in guidance published on the NLCF website, including among other criteria: Organisations that support people and communities who have experienced disproportionate challenge and difficulty as a result of the COVID-19 crisis; Organisations providing services and support for vulnerable people, for which there will be increased demand as a result of the COVID-19 crisis; and Organisations which connect communities and support communities to work together to respond to Covid-19.

Journalism

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that UK-based freelance journalists will be able to operate across European borders after the transition period.

Mr John Whittingdale: On 1 September 2020, the Government launched a comprehensive communications campaign to help the UK prepare for the end of the transition period. This includes guidance on customs and mobility procedures important to workers and freelancers. My department will continue to engage with the press sector on the specific issues they may face.We are seeking a reciprocal agreement with the EU that could allow UK citizens to undertake some business activities in the EU without a work permit, on a short-term basis. At the moment, we are unable to comment on the detail of these arrangements as discussions are ongoing.

Culture Recovery Fund

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to allocate the remaining funds in the Culture Recovery Fund.

Caroline Dinenage: The majority of the CRF funding is now being deployed with over £500 million allocated so far across both capital and recovery grants. A further £188 million has been allocated to the devolved administrations as part of the Barnett formula and £100 million has been directly allocated to national cultural institutions and English Heritage Trust.Repayable finance awards (which made up £270m of the Fund) are currently under negotiation, with outcomes expected to be announced in the coming weeks, and part of the £120m capital funding is still to be allocated.Additionally, DCMS has held back a substantial amount of CRF funding with a view to offering critical support when needed - we do not know what will happen next with this pandemic, and this government wants to support these sectors over the long term.DCMS and its Arms Length Bodies are working closely to identify the ongoing needs of these sectors, and will make decisions as soon as possible about how best to use the contingency funding left within the CRF to provide further support to the sector.

Parliamentary Works Sponsor Body

Palace of Westminster: Repairs and Maintenance

Geraint Davies: To ask the right hon. Member for East Hampshire, representing the Parliamentary Works Sponsor Body, what assessment of air quality has been made as part of the plans for refurbishing the Palace of Westminster.

Damian Hinds: An initial desk-based assessment of existing data regarding air quality in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster has been conducted as part of the Restoration and Renewal Programme, and a further assessment will be conducted to provide more accurate and up to date data. These assessments will inform the development of the designs and business case for the restoration works.The Sponsor Body has agreed a strategic objective to mitigate the environmental impact of the Programme during the construction phase and to minimise the impact in relation to the Palace's future operation, in line with its statutory obligations. This objective has been endorsed by the Commissions of both Houses and will be kept under review as the Programme progresses.